


An Undertale Story

by ZRDragonStriker



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-07-14 23:59:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7196867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZRDragonStriker/pseuds/ZRDragonStriker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Frisk succeeding in freeing the Monsters from the Underground, life moves on. Tasked with living a normal life as the Human Ambassador, it seems the problems are only just beginning. PostPacifistAU UPDATES WEEKLY. R&R PLEASE.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Amends

**Author's Note:**

> First time poster here at AO3. Go easy on me please!
> 
> There may be some plotholes that I may have overlooked and for that, I apologize in advance. I tried my best in making all the canon characters stay in character, but I had to improvise at certain points, since I really couldn't imagine how they would react. Lastly, Undertale fanfic fans who are reading this, please take note: I am not a pro at writing so don't expect me to be great because I am not.
> 
> So with all that said and done, I present the 1st chapter of my new story.

He did it.

He finally did it.

He was scared, he was worried but above it all, he knew it was the right thing to do. Asriel Dreemurr walked down the path, not really caring where his legs would bring him. He felt tired, exhaustion finally beginning to set in. Who knew that breaking a magical barrier that sealed your kind for who knows how long would take that much toll on you? His breathing felt ragged and even though he felt like he just wanted to collapse onto the floor, he felt compelled to just keep walking. He didn't want it to be here. Not in the presence of these people; and most importantly, not in the presence of Frisk.

Frisk didn't deserve to see him like this; not after everything that he had done.

Asriel wasn't proud of it. He had done unspeakable things to these people; toyed with their lives like they were just a source of entertainment to him. And for reasons that was best summed up as: just because. He would understand why if they hated him or even more so if they want him to turn into nothing but dust. That is, if they would even remember the horrible things he had done. Most of them wouldn't. But Asriel knew one specific individual that knew more than he was letting on and he was the only person he could never beat either.

In the end, he didn't need their help to disappear.

He already felt it. Slowly, he felt the souls he had absorbed begin to disappear from inside him, and him going along with them. One by one, he felt his grip on his emotions begin to slowly go numb. This was it. This was really it. After being able to enjoy the time he was as Asriel Dreemurr, he was going to turn back into Flowey the Flower.

He sighed. He supposed it was his ultimate and final punishment for all the wrong things he had done as Flowey. If anything, it only felt more appropriate. But even if it did, he felt a twang of pain in his soul that was slowly shattering away. His thoughts went out to his parents who didn't even know he was just a mere distance away from them. In some of the timelines he had visited, he had made his presence known to them. But this only proved to make things worse as being in a soulless vessel didn't let him feel emotions. The most heartbreaking thing that ever happened to him was not feeling the love and warmth he normally had when he was with his parents.

A tear began to streak down his face. He missed that warmth. What he would do to just be able to feel that again. He could go back, but he didn't want to do that to his parents. He didn't want to let them see their child only to disappear again and be back as a flower. He didn't even know if he could bring himself to do it.

Their smiles. Their hugs. Their kisses.

The memories filled Asriel with warmth but even then that was disappearing itself. It wouldn't be long now. The thought of sleep was becoming more and more comforting with each step he took. He looked up and finally noted where he was. He was at the Ruins, at the one and only flower bed that existed there.

Chara. The name crossed his mind.

After everything that had happened, the human was still like a brother to him that he never had. Sure he wasn't the best person. He wasn't perfect. But even still, seeing past all that, he was still the other important person in his life. Asriel walked over to the flower bed and collapsed onto his knees feeling weaker. He barely could keep himself together at this point. The last of the monster souls had just left him, leaving him with only the human souls left. He tipped to the side and fell on the flower bed, spreading petals everywhere.

Tears slowly streamed from his face as he looked up to the light flowing down from the hole up in the ceiling. He felt the sun's rays warm his body. He wondered what the sun would look like. He hoped that everyone would enjoy it when they get to see it. They deserve it. That was when Frisk entered his mind.

Frisk and Chara looked uncannily similar, yet dramatically different from one another. And it was this difference that ended up saving everyone. Asriel smiled to himself, feeling a warmth in his chest. It was also what ended up helping him as well. He owed everything to Frisk. Even though the time they spent with each other was practically filled with nothing but him trying to kill him, the human still never gave up. His resolve never faltered. His mission never changing. Even at the brink of death, the human faced it head on with a bright smile and a big heart. A heart big enough to stop the most dangerous of foes.

Even him.

Chara may not have climbed Mt. Ebott with the best of intentions but Frisk…he never knew why he did what he did. But Asriel was grateful nonetheless. Frisk never gave up for what he believed in. And most importantly, Frisk never gave up on him. Asriel wanted that kind of friend. He wanted Frisk. But now, he wasn't going to get either.

At the very least however, he was happy that they were going to be happy.

Then, he felt it. One by one, the human souls slowly started freeing themselves from him. One, two, three, four, followed by the fifth one and then finally the sixth one. Six human souls floated in front of him, symbolizing their respective human traits.

Asriel closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable. In just a matter of moments he would feel it. He would feel numb and in a blink of an eye, he'd become Flowey the Flower again, a soulless vessel for a monster like him. He could no longer maintain his monster form due to the fact that his soul had long been gone.

But then…

He opened his eyes, and the souls were still there. Normally by now they would have faded away already, much like the other monster souls he had with him earlier. Yet they were here, as if…as if wanting to keep him company? He wasn't sure. They floated ominously in front of him, pulsating vibrantly, radiating him with their light. Then, they floated back down.

To his surprise, they floated near him. Asriel wiped away the tears that were on his face and tried to understand what was going on. What were the souls doing? As if answering his question, the souls began to slowly…fuse together. One by one, they each combined together right in front of him, and each and every fuse he could feel warmth radiating from the soul that was being created. Inevitably, the final soul joined the others and right in front of him was one soul.

It was made of pure white.

It looked like a monster soul yet…it felt different. Asriel couldn't comprehend what was happening. What was going on? The white soul on the other hand floated towards him and to his surprise, rested itself completely on his chest, where his soul would have been. Immediately, the hollow feeling he normally felt from being soulless disappeared.

He felt…whole again.

The feeling of being able to feel emotions came back to him. His tired body felt rejuvenated, all sense of exhaustion disappearing completely.

He felt…

Ever since everything happened. Ever since turning into Flowey and doing all those horrid things. Ever since resigning himself to the fate that he thought he would never be able to see his family again. To never see Frisk ever again.

Tears began to freely flow from his eyes as a warm smile formed on his face.

For the first time, he felt alive.

"Asriel?"

The monster looked up to see someone walking up to him, emerging from the darkness. Just from the voice alone, he knew who it was-seeing the striped design shirt only cemented this further. It was none other than Frisk himself. The human's expression was full of nothing but concern. It changed however to a look of relief upon his eyes meeting Asriel's.

"Asriel!" The human ran up to him and immediately pulled him into a hug. "Why did you run off?"

"I…" Asriel was dazed and confused. Emotions piled up inside him. It was all so new to him. It was downright overwhelming. "I-I…" He broke down and started crying on Frisk's shoulder, hugging the human tightly back. "I got scared…"

Frisk smiled, patting his back. "There's nothing to be scared about, Asriel. I'm sure your mother and father are very worried about you. We're all here for you." He pulled back and looked at the monster in the eyes. "I was worried about you. Asriel, I'm here for you."

Asriel wiped the tears from his face. "Thanks, Frisk. I just got scared. I didn't…I didn't want them to see me…"

"Turn into a flower?"

Asriel nodded silently. Even just from the sheer mention of being a flower frightened him. He never wanted to be back in that form ever again.

"I understand your fears. But I'm sure your mother and father would still love to see you."

"I know. I just…I don't want them to feel grief again."

"They'd be happier to know that you're alive and well. To know that Asriel Dreemurr, there one and only son, to be alive."

Asriel let out a light short laugh. It was refreshing. That was probably the first time he laughed because of genuine good interest instead of bad reasons. "You're just saying that. Dad already told you that you could be like a family at one point before I…" He trailed and shook his head. He didn't want to remember what he did afterwards at that point in the timeline. Asriel glanced at Frisk then said, "I suppose that would make us brothers."

"I would love to have you as my brother, whether or not you'd be a flower doesn't matter to me." Frisk smiled at him. "That is, if you would have me."

Asriel smiled back, hugging Frisk again. Hearing him say those words meant a lot to him. Frisk returned the hug, before helping the monster back up to his feet. "I'll take that as a yes." He then asked, "So uh…How…how long do you have anyway?"

"I don't know," Asriel answered. He looked at Frisk confused. "I…Frisk, the souls they…"

Frisk's brow rose. "What did they do?"

"They uh…I don't know what they did. But they…" Asriel scratched his head, unable to find the words to describe what he was feeling in his chest, literally.

"What happened, Asriel?"

Asriel bit his lip, then decided to summon his soul deep from within him. He let out deep breaths as he held his floating soul in his cupped hands to let Frisk see. The human's reaction was pretty much the same as his. Shock, surprise, confusion and curiosity all flashed through the human's face. Frisk blinked madly, even going so far to rub his eyes to check that he wasn't seeing things.

"Asriel is that…is that…?" He looked up to the monster for an answer.

Asriel nodded. "It's a soul."

"I can't believe it…you have a soul now. Where did it come from?"

"The human souls earlier-they did something weird. It's like…instead of fading away they…they fused together." Asriel summoned the soul back into him. He breathed deeply, feeling the familiar warmth radiating inside him. "It was like…they gave this to me."

"You know what this means, right?" Frisk asked, a happy smile forming on his face.

Asriel nodded, feeling forever grateful to the six human souls for what they did for him. To give him this second chance; a chance to live again. A chance to have this happy ending.

"It's…"

Asriel's lips trembled but he pushed himself further to say the next words.

"It's my soul now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know the title isn't all that great. I'm bad at making titles, like Asgore.


	2. Reunion

The metal elevator doors closed in front of them and Frisk walked over to the side panel and pressed the highest floor. Asriel nearly lost his footing when the elevator sprang to life, and he was thankfully caught by Frisk. He mumbled a thank you.

"How did you even know where to find me?" he asked, looking at Frisk who rested his back on the elevator's wall.

"I had a feeling," Frisk replied. "I followed it and I found you. How are you feeling by the way?" Frisk had to admit, he was happy to see Asriel be alive and well—especially with how everything that happened—but he was still concerned for the monster's wellbeing. He wasn't sure if there would be any repercussions with his best friend's new found soul. He made a mental note to ask Alphys later for any possible insight into what exactly happened.

"Honestly? I feel…normal." Asriel clutched his chest, feeling his heart beating inside him, and the new monster soul pulsating vibrantly within. "I don't feel anything wrong…"

Frisk looked visibly relieved. "That's good. I'm glad to hear that."

"If anything, I feel scared."

"Of what?"

"What they would think."

Frisk sighed and walked over to Asriel's side of the elevator. He reached over and put his arm over Asriel's shoulder and pulled him close. "There's nothing to be scared off, Azzy," he said, using the nickname he had assigned to his best friend, "I'm sure they would be very happy to see you."

Asriel rested his head on the human's shoulder. He wasn't sure what it was about Frisk, but he always felt safe around him and he was grateful to have him around now. "I know…but…in the other timelines—"

"Those timelines never happened, Asriel." Frisk looked at him seriously. "They were what could have been. You should focus on living in the present." The human looked away. "I should know."

"It just feels…weird."

"It's the guilt isn't it?"

Asriel pulled away and bowed his head, looking at the floor. He silently nodded.

"It's not easy, Azzy. But you should slowly just try and forget about those things. Let them go. They will really eat you up inside and make you feel worse. No one is blaming you for what you did, not that they would remember anyways, but my point still stands. You weren't you. That wasn't Asriel Dreemurr."

The monster nodded again. "It's just…it feels wrong, you know? I've always seen the monsters be filled with nothing but despair because of the war with the humans but now…they're filled with hope. And I feel horrible knowing that I was part of the reason that was causing them even more despair."

"Don't forget, you were also part of the reason for giving them that hope. Don't punish yourself, Asriel. It's not your fault."

"What are you saying? You're the real hero here, Frisk, not me."

"Hero?" The human's brow rose and he chuckled lightly. "I wasn't trying to be anything. I was just trying to do the right thing." He pointed at Asriel. "You, on the other hand, broke the barrier. You freed these monsters."

Asriel sighed. "I guess you are right."

"You'd be a great king someday."

Asriel blinked, surprised at the statement. "Me? A king?" he shook his head. "I don't think I could ever do the whole ruler thing."

Frisk shrugged. "Well, you never know."

"I'd rather you take the position instead."

"I don't think that's how monarchy works, Azzy."

The conversation between the two was interrupted when the elevator sounded off and the doors began to open. The two of them stepped out and made their way down the path and into the final corridor before the throne room. Frisk could hear Asriel's nervous breaths as they made their way towards the end of the room. He reached over and held the monster's hand. "You're going to be okay, alright?"

Asriel nodded, thankful for the moral support. This room brought bad memories to him. Golden glass stained windows with the Delta Rune depicted on them lined the walls, right next to large pillars that reached up to the ceiling. The sound of their footsteps on the checkered floor echoed across the entire corridor. It was calm, royal and perfectly suited the regal motif. Quite the perfect juxtaposition for Asriel. In his fair share of manipulating the timeline, this was where he encountered, fought and lost to that one specific individual that was seemingly aware of his manipulations. And it was none other than…

"Sans!" Frisk called out, nearly making Asriel jump and hide behind the human almost comically.

"Oh, hey there, kid." The laidback skeleton let out a yawn. "Toriel sent me out to look for you. It was getting a bit late and she was getting worried. Is your cellphone out of batteries again? We've been trying to contact you for a while now."

"My cellphone?" Frisk reached into his pockets and pulled out the device. He tapped the screen and sure enough, it didn't respond. "I guess it is. Sorry for making you guys worry!"

The skeleton waved a hand at him dismissively. "It's okay, kid, you're fine. Tori's just a bit worried about you, is all." Sans then stopped and glanced at the person standing behind Frisk. "Frisk?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know that there's a person standing behind you?"

Frisk glanced behind him and saw Asriel sheepishly smile back. "What are you doing?" He stepped to the side, revealing the scared monster.

Asriel felt the hair on his back stand on end when Sans saw him fully. The skeleton on the other hand cocked his head to the side, looking at him curiously. "Who's your friend?" he asked as he walked over towards the two kids.

"Howdy!" Asriel mustered the courage to find his voice. "I'm Asriel."

"Asriel Dreemurr," Sans said, looking at him. "I know exactly who you are."

In that brief moment, Asriel felt a shiver go down his spine as he and Sans made direct eye contact. He swore he saw the skeleton's left eye glow for just a split second, as if there to serve as a reminder of previous encounters. But just as quick as it settled, the momentary tense atmosphere disappeared as Sans then said, "Aren't you dead, your majesty?"

Frisk, unaware of the forming tension, answered, "It's complicated."

Sans chuckled. "Try me, kid. If it's as complicated as Papy's puzzle though, we may have a problem."

"We don't know ourselves," Frisk answered. "It just…happened. I'm glad that it did though."

"Dead kids don't just come back to life—not that I'm not happy or anything," Sans immediately added at the end of his sentence.

"It was something with the human souls. They did something. They…they gave me a soul," Asriel answered as best as he could.

"They gave you a soul?" Sans asked, clearly befuddled by what he had just been told. "Hmm…maybe they thought to give you a second chance…" he mumbled to himself.

"I don't understand how it worked either but Asriel has a soul now!" Frisk answered, smiling back at the skeleton.

"I suppose that's what matters in the end, right?"

Frisk and Asriel nodded. Sans stepped to the side and then said, "Well you two should run along now. I'm sure the others are waiting for you."

"Where are you going?" Frisk asked, looking at the skeleton who was walking away.

"Taking a shortcut. I'll see you guys there."

Frisk nodded and turned to face Asriel. "Come on, let's go." Asriel nodded and followed right after the human kid. That went a lot better than the previous encounters Asriel had with Sans. He felt bad. He wanted to apologize for everything he had done. He had a strong feeling that Sans wasn't keen on being friends with him yet, or even then, at all-not that he could blame him. In the other timelines, he wasn't exactly the best of persons to him. That said he wasn't sure if that was the right moment to say it. Or if there would ever be a right moment. Asriel felt a huge weight on his chest the more he thought about it.

"Hey, you okay?"

Frisk voice cut through his train of thought. "Huh?"

"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?"

Asriel looked away. Frisk was right on the dot as always. "Sorry…it just really weighs on my mind."

"I know. I know this is a lot for you to take in, but know that I'm always here by your side, alright? Everyone is."

Asriel smiled. Frisk never failed to help him stay positive. "Thank you."

The two kept on walking and eventually they ended up at the doors leading to the throne room. Asriel felt himself shake. Fear once again gripped him. Just like the corridor before, the next room they were about to enter was very significant to him. This was where he…where he…

Frisk opened the door and flower petals blew past them. It was a garden filled to the brim with healthy looking golden flowers. Vines traced the wall, giving the entire place a rustic feel to it that somehow meshed well with regal motif. A throne sat at the middle and at the far back was another one, just covered with a sack. A large figure had his back turned to them, wearing royal clothes and was humming a pleasant tune to himself. In his hand was a watering can which poured water onto the flowers.

He looked up as he heard the sound of the doors opening. "Is someone there?" He turned around and said, "Have you finally returned, Frisk…?"

Asriel felt his heart jump as the two made eye contact. The calm expression, the eyes, the face, the warm smile; it was everything he remembered. It was as if no time had passed between him and his father. He felt a lump form in his throat as he tried to find his voice. He wanted to say things. He wanted to tell him things.

"How is this…?" Asgore remarked dropping to his knees in front of Asriel.

"H-Howdy…Dad," he said, his voice nearly coming out as whisper. A smile formed across his face, just as his eyes started to water again.

Asgore remained quiet, his mouth wide open. He was trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Was this an illusion? Was he having a nightmare? He wasn't sure. He nervously raised his right hand and reached out towards Asriel. His heart beat frantically in his chest. He was scared.

He wanted this to be real.

He wanted this to be real more than anything in the world.

Asriel closed his eyes as his father's hand cupped his cheeks. It was warm, filled with nothing but love and care. It was just like he had remembered it to be. Tears began to stream from his face once again as he felt his heart flutter with love.

"Asriel," his father whispered, tears pouring from his face. "My sweet, sweet angel." Asgore then pulled his son close to him and gave him the best hug he could ever muster. He even gave Asriel tender kisses on the forehead.

Frisk watched as the father and son hugged it out in the middle of the room. The sight of it made his heart melt completely. He made sure to give the two the personal space they needed as he knew just how important this was to the both of them. A slight tear of joy escaped from his eyes as the tenderness of the moment was just too much for him. His attention was drawn however when he heard the door at the far end of the room open. A figure began walking towards them.

"Asgore, have you seen—Frisk?"

It was Toriel. Frisk waved at her.

Hearing his mother's voice, Asriel momentarily stopped hugging his dad to call out to her. "M-Mommy?"

Toriel stopped in her tracks and she looked utterly dumbfounded. Then, before she knew it, tears were already streaming from her face. "A-Asriel…?" she called out, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Asgore let go of his son and gently nuzzled him towards Toriel. Asriel walked forward before practically running towards his mother's open arms. The two hugged as tightly as they could, seemingly never wanting to let go. Asgore walked towards them and pulled the two into a hug as well.

Asriel was in the middle of it all, and one thing was clear to him.

He was with family. And after being soulless for so long, he could finally feel it in his heart.

He could finally feel their love.


	3. Sunrise

Asriel felt alive.

In a weird way, it felt odd. In the very room where he spent his final hours, it never occurred to him that it would also be the very room where he would feel alive like never before. It was too good to be true. Yet there he was, hugging both of his parents as tightly as he could as he feared that if he loosened up, they would magically disappear. Their touch, their hugs, their kisses; each and every action, he felt it. And each and every time, he felt their love.

In that space in time, nothing mattered to him. Only that he was with family and this was a memory he would forever cherish until the day he died.

After the rather heartfelt reunion, Asgore regained his composure. He wiped the tears from his eyes and then asked, "How is this possible?" He turned to look at Frisk who was wiping a tear that from his eye. It would seem the scene itself had managed to pluck at his heartstrings. "Frisk," Asgore began, "did you do this?"

The human shook his head. "Don't look at me."

"We don't know how it happened. But I think the human souls did something," Asriel piped in. "We're still trying to figure it out ourselves."

"It is a miracle, my child," Toriel said, nuzzling his son on the cheeks.

"You could say that again," Frisk replied. "I've been trying my hardest to come up with something to save Asriel, but I guess they beat me to it." Frisk had lost count how many times he had to reset the timeline because plan after plan didn't work. He was beginning to be desperate.

"Save him? How is it that you know my son in the first place, if you don't mind me asking? This is the first time you've seen each other." Asgore cocked his head to the side and looked at both Asriel and Frisk.

Frisk thought for a moment before replying. "I think they should know, Asriel." Asriel whimpered retreating back to the safe comfort of his mother's embrace. "They're not going to be angry. No one is."

"…well, alright. Mom, Dad," he looked at the both of them, "you see, it's because I wasn't always like this. I was a—"

Asriel's answered was cut off when the door opened and in came in Sans, Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys.

"Are you sure you weren't doing one of your jokes again, Sans?" Papyrus asked. "If this is a prank…"

"Yeah! Because the prince being alive would just be…" Alphys' voice trailed as her eyes rested on the sight of the Dreemurr family in the middle of the room. "…impossible."

Undyne blinked, utterly flabbergasted. "He wasn't joking."

"I can be serious too, you know," Sans said, smirking at their surprised expressions.

Alphys was the one who was the first to recover and ran over to Asriel. "Your Majesty! H-how is this possible?" She adjusted her glasses and looked at Asriel as if seeing him for the first time.

Asgore chuckled. "It would seem everyone is as curious as I am!"

Toriel turned to his son. "You were saying, my child?"

Asriel gulped, feeling the nervousness creep back again. The fact that Alphys was looking him over wasn't helping either. He looked at Frisk for support who immediately got the message. Frisk smiled and nodded to him, urging him to go on. "Well I…I wasn't always like this. For the longest time, I was a…flower."

"A flower?" Asgore asked.

Asriel nodded and felt his guilt well up again. "A-and…and…I-I'm…" His mind started flashing back the events of what he had done before. "I'm sorry!" he shouted.

"For what?" Toriel asked, trying to comfort his son.

"I-I hurt everyone. I nearly…killed everyone."

"Wait, you mean that golden flower?" Undyne asked. "That golden flower was you?!"

Toriel gasped, going utterly complete white. "I nearly hurt you!"

Asriel whimpered, clearly enough to answer the question. Seeing his best friend distressed, Frisk decided to step in. "That was technically him, but not as well."

"You are confusing me human. Is this a riddle?" Papyrus asked, scratching his head. "Because if it is, it's very challenging."

"It's not. That flower—Flowey—was Asriel without his soul." Frisk noticed that Alphys was visibly shocked at the statement, as she finally understood what was going on. "I managed to put the pieces together when I was down at Alphys' lab and from then on, I've been trying to find a way to bring him back."

"How did you do it?" Alphys asked curiously. "How did you manage to bring him back?"

Everyone looked at Frisk as he answered. "I didn't."

"What?" Undyne asked. "You didn't? But he's right there!"

"The six human souls did. They beat me to it."

"Remarkable! S-Simply outstanding!" Alphys stuttered as she looked at Asriel's soul as he showed it to the scientist. "I can't really say much without testing it fully, but I can definitely say without a doubt that what he has there is truly a monster's soul." The lizard scratched her chin as she thought to herself. "It would seem our understanding of human souls is lesser than we thought."

"But I guess what matters in the end is that he has one, right?" Frisk smiled, looking at Asriel who felt utterly comfortable in the arms of both of his parents.

"I concur," Asgore added, gently patting his son's head. He turned to Frisk then said, "It would seem that we truly are in your debt, Frisk. You have done so much for us. And then you bring me back our child." The large monster looked utterly distressed. "I am sorry, for well, nearly attacking you."

Frisk shook his head. In the other timelines, that wasn't the only thing that happened but Asgore didn't need to hear that. Frisk instead decided to just divert the attention. "It's no problem, your majesty." He laughed sheepishly. "Everyone in this room has already tried to attack me once." Everyone laughed self-consciously at the statement realizing just how true that was. "Thankfully no one succeeded in really doing me in." He smiled at each and every one of them. "No harm feelings though, you're all my friends."

"And that we are to you, my child," Toriel replied, still feeling somewhat horrible for what she did. She nearly hurt BOTH children now.

"I'm just glad everyone is safe. Most of this is my fault as it is," Alphys said, speaking up.

"Do not blame yourself, Alphys," Toriel said. "Without you, I wouldn't be holding my child now."

"The queen's right, we all make mistakes," Undyne added, patting the lizard on her shoulder. Alphys just wiped her eyes clean from a tear that was beginning to form. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

"And that goes for you too, Asriel," Toriel added, looking down at her child. "Do not blame yourself for what happened. You weren't you."

Asriel nodded, and then felt contented to just rest his head on his mother's chest, thinking about things.

"Is everyone here then?" Undyne asked. "I want to go see what's outside now!"

"Undyne is right, let us go," Asgore added. "It is high time we see something good."

Walking down the path the barrier used to block, Frisk let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus and Sans were at the back of the group, with the former three trying to stop the latter skeleton from making any more bad jokes. Frisk was walking alongside the Dreemurr family, who were all happy at how things had turned out. Asriel was right in the middle, holding both his mother and father's hands who couldn't stop from smiling to themselves.

The human had lost count how many resets he had to go through, how many times he had to see these monsters go, how many times overall to feel the sense of hopelessness that things weren't going to work out. To see that they eventually did, was an understatement. For the first time ever since falling down the Underground, he finally felt at peace, knowing that things were going the way they did.

"Are you alright, Frisk?" Asgore asked, noticing him sigh.

"Huh? Oh, I'm alright, your majesty."

"Please, Frisk, call me Asgore."

Frisk nodded. "Well, Asgore, I am alright. Just…" Frisk was at a loss for words. "Very, very happy right now. I'm just very happy that things finally worked out."

"You and me both," the King said, looking outwards. They were nearing the exit and sunlight was beginning to spill in. "It's like waking up from an endless nightmare."

"You could say that again."

Going back outside, Frisk couldn't help but feel his exhaustion disappear. Seeing the sun again after so long, felt rejuvenating. The air was fresh and the warmth of the sun's rays felt relaxing. Everyone was equally enamored, watching the sun rise over the horizon.

Asgore was the one who broke the momentary silence. "Thank you for everything you have done, Frisk. I never knew I would ever see this day happen."

"He's right, Frisk! I never knew you had this yellow ball with you up here," Papyrus chimed in.

"We call that the sun, Papyrus," Sans corrected his brother.

"That said, we have so much to do. This marks a new era of peace between monsters and humans. I have something to ask of you. Would you serve as an ambassador for us monsters?" Asgore asked.

Frisk blinked. "An ambassador?" He thought of the proposition in his head. "I'm not really sure what I can do but, sure, I guess?"

"You'd make a great ambassador, Frisk! Just believe in yourself!" Undyne added.

"I'll be sure to help you. Do not worry, my child," Toriel added with a smile.

Papyrus, on the other hand, was smiling like a madman, happy to finally see a worthy adversary for someone as great as him, as he put it. Thankfully his brother put a stop to him before he did something drastic, accompanied by everyone's laugher. That didn't stop the former from running down the mountain however to challenge the 'sun' and make a good impression on the humans. That was Sans cue to give chase to stop his brother's antics.

"Do I have to do everything here?" Undyne muttered out of frustration. "Papyrus! Get back here!" she shouted, running after the skeleton. Not wanting to be left out, Alphys ran after her girlfriend.

"Whoops…" Asgore said, watching the chaos ensue. "Should I, uh…do something?"

Asgore and Toriel looked at each other. Frisk watched the two of them carefully. Even after everything that happened, he was very much well aware of the…problems the two had with each other. He didn't expect them to have their differences resolved immediately overnight, given how…upfront Toriel was in telling off Asgore earlier.

Toriel just shot him a dirty look in the end.

"Well, gotta go!" Asgore ran off, presumably to stop the monsters from making a bad impression.

Frisk just shook his head. Asgore and Toriel's relationship was something he was going to have to deal with at some point. It wouldn't do Asriel any justice to see his parents fighting like this. Not after everything he had gone through.

"It's beautiful, Frisk."

Frisk turned his head to see Asriel wiping a tear from his face. The human chuckled. "I told you, didn't I?"

The goat smiled back at him before his expression softened to that of someone thankful. "…Thank you, Frisk."

"For what?"

"For saving me."

Frisk just smiled warmly back at him. "You're welcome, Azzy."

"And I am thankful too, Frisk," Toriel added. "However, you came from this world, so you must have a place to return to, do you not?"

Frisk felt everyone's eyes on him. He shook his head. He never really liked thinking about himself. "It's a complicated thing. But…no, to answer your question. I don't have a place to go."

Before anyone else could even answer, it was Asriel that spoke up. "You can stay with us." He then looked at his mother. "He can, right?"

"It is settled then." Toriel smiled back down and patted Frisk's head. "If you had said this earlier, none of this would have ever happened. It is a good thing you took so long to change your mind." Toriel chuckled to herself.

Asriel smiled then said, "For the record though, I'll be the older brother."

Everyone just laughed.

Frisk then felt Toriel grab his and Asriel's hands. "I will do my best to take care of both of you," she said to him. "Now come along, children. Everyone's waiting for us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! They've finally made it out of the Underground! It's time to see how the world reacts with the crew now above ground. Things are just getting started folks. =3


	4. Catching Up

Things couldn't have gone any better. They could have gone completely worse but thankfully they didn't. Human and monster integration was naturally tough at first. The entire world was shocked to suddenly find walking skeletons, a talking fish creature next to a lizard creature, followed by a large humanoid goat; one that claimed to represent all of monster kind. It was weird. It was awkward. It seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale and yet it was happening in real time, and in reality.

Thankfully, time moved on, and the burdens of the past did not carry over to the present. The war that King Asgore remembered had become nothing more than just an old fable that could be read in any children's book in the library. Prejudice was there but some was replaced by genuine curiosity and cautionary approaches. Naturally, the humans feared the monsters, and the monsters feared them back. But, learning from what had happened back then, King Asgore made it a point to not make the same mistakes as before. He didn't want history to repeat itself, knowing just how far they have come.

Being the king of his kind, the monsters saw him work hard. King Asgore eventually met and talked to the right people, and managed to come to peaceful terms, in spite of the monsters sudden appearance. Money wasn't much of a problem for them, as their former currency was built on nothing but pure solid gold coins which thankfully fetched a very, very hefty price in the human market.

"We come in peace, humans," Asgore said, speaking in front of a large crowd that looked up at him with genuine curiosity. Cameras were everywhere and every now and then a flash of light would signal their photograph being taken. This event was truly one for the record books. "It has been a long time, but I do hope you will allow us to live with you once again, as your ancestors before you." He looked at every single one of the humans in the crowd. "I know that we may look menacing. Some may even scare you, others may even put you off, but know that we bear nothing but good intentions. We do not seek to fight nor any of that sort. We are only here to live, as you do in your everyday lives."

As the monster king's speech continued, Frisk stood right next to him, serving his one and only job, as the ambassador for the monsters. He was wearing a regal outfit, tailored made for him by Toriel—who was very against him for going to this press event for obvious reasons—the other day. It had the delta rune insignia stitched onto it. It made his position all the more solidified. It wasn't easy for Frisk, but he wasn't an idiot to think it would be. He was only twelve years old, and yet here he was, at the forefront of a very important political matter that everyone's lives and safety hanged on the balance. If anything, it was too much of a responsibility for someone as young as him to deal with. But Frisk wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Asgore worked the hard political venture while he served as the one answering questions about monsters in general.

There was a momentary break in the press event, and the media personnel took this chance to interview Frisk. He got pulled to the side, and before he knew it, cameras and microphones was being pressed to his face, the news reporters desperately trying to get their questions in before the chance was gone. Thankfully, security personnel on hand was helpful in keeping them at bay. That and Undyne—being part of security—wasn't someone they wanted to trifle with.

"Mr. Dreemurr!" one of the reporters called out. Frisk mentally sighed. Honestly being called that name felt appropriate and yet at the same time was something he needed to get used to.

"Yes?" he replied back.

"Is it really true that King Asgore is your adoptive father?"

Frisk just gave the man his natural flat stare. "Yes, I wouldn't have that last name if I didn't. Next question?"

This time it was a female reporter. "How did you become the human ambassador?"

The question made Frisk momentarily pause. The answer to that question was a very long story and one that something he knew people wouldn't really understand fully even if they tried. He needed to condense his entire experience in a short, straight but simple answer. He took a deep breath and then said, "King Asgore asked me to. I had helped him in dealing with very important matters and due to my actions he deemed it appropriate to give me the role of an ambassador. He saw that there was some good in humans, a view he previously did not share, and with my reasoning, now advocates peace. I hope that answers your question well enough."

Asriel yawned sleepily as he sat on the couch of their new home, a book in his lap. He had spent the rest of the day just reading by himself. Normally, he would have been up at his room playing videogames with Frisk until their mom called them down, but Frisk wasn't around for the night. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 7pm, right around the time news reports would start showing up. He closed the book he was holding and reached over to the side table for the remote. With a flick of a switch, the television came to life.

"Thank you for tuning in, I am Demex Windsor, and this is Watcher News." The news channel began playing its familiar news jingle followed by the day's highlights. Written in bold letters behind the channel's colors were the words: Human-Monster Peace Alliance. A human reporter came on screen and began the news cast.

"Tonight marks a very important milestone in human history as monsters from Mt. Ebott have surfaced and are now seeking to reintegrate themselves back to society. Our field correspondent, Zen Black, has the details, Zen?" The screen shifted to a scene of the reporter at the field. Behind him was a massive stage with two individuals Asriel recognized fully.

"Right you are, Demex. I'm currently here, reporting live, at the Viper Dome as the press event held by King Asgore and the President of the United States just took place. Everything seems to be going rather well, with the peace talks going rather swimmingly between the monster king and the president." The screen then began showing various behind the scenes footage that was shot earlier that day, with Zen's narration atop it. "Various individuals have shown their support for the integration of monsters back into human society. Adults, teenagers and even young kids have found it in their hearts to push through with the alliance. I managed to interview one of the many families that came here to support King Asgore."

It then flashed a video clip of Zen's interview. "Hello young man," he began, talking to an elementary kid, "what do you think of King Asgore?" he handed the microphone over and waited for the kid's answer.

"I think he's awesome! He looks super cool in that outfit of his!"

Zen pulled back and turned to the parents. "Are you concerned about the safety of your child, living among monsters?"

"I am. What kind of parent would I be if I wasn't?" answered the human father. "That said, seeing the human ambassador-Frisk was it? Yeah, seeing him stand next to King Asgore and later knowing that the old goat stands to be his father, gives me a sense that he speaks the truth."

Asriel smiled. "Dad is awesome like that," he said to himself as he watched more of the news report.

"Azzy?" a voice called out from behind him.

"I'm in the living room, mom!" he called back.

Toriel entered the room, wearing an apron in front of her clothes. "Dinner's ready, my child. You can go eat now."

Asriel shook his head. "Let's wait for Frisk and dad, mom. I'd like to eat when we're all here together."

Toriel sighed and looked at the television as the news cast began to now show Frisk being interviewed on screen. "Well, I guess we can have dinner before your dad has to leave." She then took a seat next to Asriel and the two watched the news report together.

"…King Asgore asked me to," Frisk answered the question, "I had helped him in dealing with very important matters and due to my actions he deemed it appropriate to give me the role of an ambassador. He saw that there was some good in humans, a view he previously did not share, and with my reasoning, now advocates peace. I hope that answers your question well enough."

"It does! Thank you, Mr. Dreemurr!" The reporter replied back.

"Next question?" Frisk looked around and one of the reporters caught his attention. "Yes?"

"What does it feel like to live with monsters?"

Both Toriel and Asriel looked at each other, much like how Frisk took a momentary pause before answering, "It's great. They're family to me. I have never felt so loved in my entire life." Frisk smiled at the camera. "Mom, if you're watching this, I'm sorry we're going to have to be late for dinner. Dad and I are a bit busy." He smiled sheepishly at the camera which was followed by a collective sound of 'aww' from the reporters that surrounded Frisk.

Toriel just chuckled. Asriel looked at his mother then said, "We should have been up there mom."

"I know, I was just worried about what might happen." She looked at Asriel sincerely. "I was worried about you."

"I'm going to be fine, mom. You know that I can handle this." Asriel smiled at her. "I should be there helping my brother." Then Asriel added, "You should be up there helping dad as well."

Toriel remained quiet, lost in her thoughts. She and Asgore still had differences and she didn't know if she could ever forgive the old goat for what he had done. But that didn't mean that Asgore wasn't trying. Asriel wasn't ignorant as well. He was well aware of the tension between his father and mother—his memories of being Flowey made sure of that. If anything he was hoping that they would patch things up for the better, but even then he himself was thinking of ways to make things better again.

It would seem that the Human Monster Peace Alliance wasn't the only problem they had in their hands.

Eventually however, Toriel broke the silence between the two of them. She smiled sincerely at her child, as she pulled him close, whispering "we'll think about it."

Asriel nodded and focused his attention back to the television. Frisk's interview was nearing its end and he was down to finishing up the last questions the interviewers had for him.

"Mr. Dreemurr! If King Asgore is a king and you are his adoptive son, does that mean you are a prince?"

Frisk blinked and shook his head. "Well no, I'm not. The real prince, my brother, is back at home."

"Why was he unable to join us?"

The human smirked. "He has homework."

Asriel balked at the statement. "What?!" Toriel laughed at his son's reaction. "I'm not the one with the homework! He is! I finished my homework hours ago."

Toriel patted his son's head lovingly. "Well you can help me remind him later that he has his academics to deal with."

The two turned their heads back to the television just as a very interesting question popped up. The question came from a female reporter.

"Mr. Dreemurr! Any plans on finding a princess?"

Frisk smiled smugly. "Not right now, I'm busy. Though, if you don't have any plans later," he then punctuated the next word with a flirty wink, "maybe?"

Asriel just placed his head in his palms, unable to believe the sheer audacity of his human brother. Toriel just blinked. He really was a charmer.

"One final question!"

Frisk turned to face the man. "Yes?"

"This question was brought in from our social media networks. Our viewers have been asking using the hashtag DreemurrQA. They ask: Frisk, will you ever open your eyes?"

Frisk looked utterly confused. "What? What are you talking about? My eyes are wide open!"

Just then, before the interviewer could squeeze in another question, security personnel started to rope off the media, as the next part of the press event was about to begin.

"That's all the question for now! Back off people!"

Back home, Asriel was happily chuckling to himself. Toriel just smiled and then said, "I have noticed that Frisk's eyes look a lot different than what most humans have."

The television screen then shifted to a view of Asgore, Frisk and the President of the United States standing in front of the crowd. Toriel stood up and patted Asriel on the head. "As much as I would like to wait for the two of them, I think it would be wise for us to eat ahead of them."

Asriel glanced back at the television and nodded. "Alright, let's go eat, mom."

Frisk just let out a very tired sigh as he sat at the backseat of the car. The press event had just ended and he wanted nothing more than to just sink into the comfortable seat. Asgore was right next to him, still perky as ever, but even he could tell that the old king was getting tired from the day's activities.

"Great job today, your majesty!" Undyne said as she sat at the front seat.

"You too, Frisk! If I hadn't known any better, you were just as great as I am, the great Papyrus!"

"Thank you, to the both of you," Asgore said, smiling at his two friends. "Are you sure it was fine for you to be here with us, Undyne?"

"It's no problem at all! Alphys was totally on board with it. She just checks in with me through the…" Just then a loud familiar pinging sound was heard inside the car, one that Frisk was all too familiar with. "That's her right now, messaging me!"

Undyne immediately started tapping away at her phone. Asgore smiled then turned to their driver, Papyrus. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this, Papyrus."

"It is no problem at all, your majesty! As a new member of the Royal Guard, it is an honor to be chosen to be your driver! It is a task that I, the great Papyrus, will succeed with flying colors!" He then stopped the vehicle under the red light. "Do not fret, your majesty! You have done amazing well today, you and Frisk both did."

If there was one thing that Papyrus didn't lacked, it was his enthusiasm and never ending positivity.

"I sure hope so. I just want everything to work out. For all of us," Asgore said, tempering his expectations. "I have seen the horrors what has happened before, and while I do see that humans nowadays are far different than what they were before, fear is still there and it is our job to show them that we do not mean them harm."

"I think Frisk being there already helped with that!" Undyne added. "Right, Frisk?!"

She then blinked, not hearing a response. She turned her head back to see the human had already fallen asleep in the seat.

"Oh, poor child," Asgore said, looking at Frisk's sleeping form. "The entire event must have taken a toll on him. Let him rest, he needs it." Asgore looked outside and saw them slowly exiting out of the busy city and into the local suburban district, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It wouldn't be long till they all got home now. "We all do."


	5. Fault

The car gently stopped to a halt at the sidewalk next to small but quaint two story house. Asgore looked outwards and saw that only the first floor had the lights on. Toriel must have already sent Asriel to sleep, which was only right since it was already nearing 8:30pm. He glanced behind him and saw the human child was fast asleep as well, snoring faintly and with an angelic face as he dreamt of happy things. The sight itself made Asgore's heart melt. But then he felt a pang of sadness as he realized that he needed to let Frisk go home. With a sad sigh, he then said, "Wait here."

Undyne and Papyrus nodded, with the former saying, "yes your majesty."

Asgore gently leaned over and easily scooped up Frisk's sleeping form and stepped out of the car. He carried him towards the home, the human's breathing making him feel relaxed. The front door opened and a familiar silhouette was outlined upfront. The monster upfront began walking towards him.

"I'm sorry for being late," Asgore said, as Toriel came up to him. "But at least things are working out now."

"I saw on the television," Toriel replied back, looking at him sternly. Asgore swore he saw a brief smile on her face though it was gone before he could really tell.

Asgore then handed Frisk sleeping form over and Toriel easily cradled him in her arms. "Thank goodness you're safe, my child," Toriel said mostly to herself. She then turned to Asgore who was still looking apologetic. "Here." She handed him a brown paper bag.

"What is-?"

"Dinner."

Asgore blinked. "Tori, thank you!"

Toriel's expression remained flat and stern. "Don't thank me. It was Asriel's idea."

The male goat nodded, but still remained happy. Giving him only a courteous nod, Toriel turned back and headed inside the house. Asgore let out a sigh he didn't even know he was holding then said, "Goodnight!"

Inside the car, Undyne and Papyrus watched the exchanged between the two. "His majesty and his beardless clone are still fighting, aren't they?"

"They are, Paps, they are." Undyne herself felt a bit sad for King Asgore. It didn't take a genius to see that the old goat still loved his wife even after everything that had happened. It also didn't take a lot to see that he was trying to get back into his wife's good graces again, though the latter was proving to be rather difficult with things.

The sound of the door opening brought her out of her thoughts. King Asgore seated himself at the backseat and smiled at the two of them. "Let us go."

As the car drove off, Toriel was inside the house, carrying Frisk's sleeping form to his bedroom that he shared with Asriel. She gently opened the door, to be greeted by the gentle snoring of the human's roommate. She silently walked over to the left bed near the wall and carefully placed Frisk, tucking him in bed. She looked at the two boys in her room. Her two sweet angels. She kneeled down and gave Asriel a loving kiss on the forehead, and then Frisk, before quietly heading out of the room.

Toriel made her way down the hall and into her own bedroom. A large empty bed greeted her and she welcomed it with open arms. She laid down the side, and happened to glance at a picture frame that was at the bedside table. It was being illuminated by the moonlight that was spilling in from the window. It was a picture of her, Asgore, Asriel and there now passed away child, Chara.

The picture evoked a lot of emotions deep inside her. Happiness, love, and then feelings of guilt mixed in with anger and frustration. The feelings of grief had come and gone but the pang of wistfulness was still there. To go back to the good old days when things seemed right yet even though things clearly weren't. Her eyes looked at Chara. The human looked so much like Frisk, it was downright uncanny. And yet there was a clear difference between the two of them. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew it was there, and it was this stark difference that made the way things now, the way they were. Of course, if it weren't for Frisk's doing, they wouldn't be free. And for that, she was forever grateful. Her eyes then went over to the goofy smiling of a goat she called her husband.

Husband.

The word echoed in her head, seemingly reverberating in her skull. It seemed like a term that she had long discarded from her vocabulary…yet a part of her clung onto it, for whatever reason. A reason that was lost deep down inside her, lost amongst the anger and frustration that festered in the far reaches of her mind that was all directed to the person the title belonged to. Toriel didn't know if she could find it in herself to forgive her husband for all the things he'd done. But then her mind flashed the words of his son from earlier that night.

"I should be there helping my brother." Then Asriel added, "You should be up there helping dad as well."

She sighed, letting the words sink into her tired mind. It was proving to be harder to think, given how physical and mentally exhausted she was. One thing was for sure, she still needed to think through about all this. Toriel felt contented to just close her eyes and hope that tomorrow will bring her a better day.

Today was a long day. And they all needed their rest.

Asriel was roused from his slumber. He groaned, rolling to his side, blinking his eyes open. The sound of people talking, no, more like shouting was what it would seem to have woken him up. He sat up right, letting out a yawn as he rubbed his eyes, wondering what all the commotion was about. The stars were still out, twinkling against the inky black sky outside. Who was making a ruckus this very early in the morning?

The young monster glanced to his side and saw that the other bed was empty. "Frisk?" he asked, looking for his human brother. Noticing that his roommate was absent, he decided to investigate further, starting first with the source of the commotion. He headed towards the door and opened it, making the sound of two people arguing clearer.

"Who do you think you are?!" It was the sound of his father's voice. He sounded rather angry. He knew that tone very well. He rarely heard it, and when it did, it made his legs quiver from fear.

"I should be asking you that very same question, Dreemurr!" That one was from his mother. It was also a tone he had ever rarely hear his mother use. What was going on?

He made his way down the hall and into the living room, the sound of the heated argument getting louder and louder in his ears.

"What right do you have to take my child away from me?!" Asgore spat.

"He's my child! Not yours! I was the one that gave birth to him!" Toriel rebutted. "He should stay with me! Not with some murderous individual like you." The venom that drip from her words could kill anyone.

"And what? Be with someone who would rather run away and hide like a coward?"

"Coward?! I wasn't the one who decided killing children was the best course of action!"

"Neither is holding them against their will!"

"I'm his mother! I know what's best for him!"

By the time that Asriel made it into the corner, he realized what the fight was about. Tears began to stream from his face, and he could literally hear his heart break. They were fighting because of him. He sniffled, and stumbled into the living room. The two adults froze at the sight of him.

"Mommy? Daddy?" he called out, desperately trying to hold back the tears but failing. "P-please stop fighting."

Asgore bit his lip, and Toriel looked away, unable to think of what to do for the first time in her life. Asriel sniffled. He tried to control his breathing but he felt his lungs burn, his eyes stinging and his heart shattering completely at the sight of the parents he loved dearly fighting over him.

Where did it all go wrong?

"Funny."

Asriel managed to regain his composure upon hearing that voice. That voice. He felt a chill go down his spine. He knew it all too well. His vision cleared and the sight of his parents fighting began to blur into nothing but darkness. His entire surrounding faded away and he found himself standing in an empty cavern, with a patch of grass in the middle.

"Funny you ask that question."

A plant sprouted in the patch of grass. Asriel felt the color drain from his face completely. It was a flower. It was none other than Flowey.

The flower turned around, and a smug smile greeted him. "Hello, Asriel," Flowey greeted with that distorted voice of his. "Did you miss me?"

"F-F…F…"

Flowey smiled, hearing Asriel trip over his words. "Speechless? My poor Asriel, you have missed me." The flower then transferred itself, suddenly sprouting closer to the terrified goat. "Don't worry, Azzy, I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay."

"What do you want, Flowey?" Asriel asked, finally finding his voice again.

"What do I want? Oh, my poor friend, it's not me that wants something. It's you, right?" Flowey asked, pointing a leaf at him. In a flash, the darkness surrounding Asriel disappeared and he was standing back in the living room once again. Asriel and Asgore stood in front of him, seemingly frozen in time. "It's your fault, you know?" Asriel turned his head and he saw Flowey in a flower pot next to him. "Your parents are fighting because of you."

Asriel's legs quivered. He felt his lungs desperately gulp for air but for some reason there didn't seem to be enough.

"All because you wanted that happy ending of yours." The flower pot that contained Flowey cracked, roots sprouting from it. It reached into the ground, and before Asriel could even react, he was being tangled up in vines. Then Flowey's voice echoed in his ears, almost deafening him.

"Who said you could have a happy ending?!"

Asriel screamed as he felt his entire body be squeezed by the vines. He struggled frantically, thrashing wildly as he desperately fought to set himself free. The maniacal laugh of Flowey echoed all around him, spurring him more into a frenzy in his attempts to escape.

"Asriel!"

The monster swung his arms wildly in an attempt to free himself. It came into contact with Flowey's vines and the monster roared in pain. Flowey however doubled his efforts and strangled his body further.

"Asriel!"

Two large vines reached out and grappled him by the neck. He was shook violently. Asriel screamed out of horror and fear, scared for his life.

"ASRIEL!"

The young monster opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Frisk looking at him worriedly. The human eyes was dead set on his, and Frisk was filled with nothing but concern. "Are you okay?" The human relaxed and let his brother sit upright. Asriel was sweating bullets, and he felt himself shake all over. He clung to his brother for emotional support. Frisk pulled his brother close, patting him gently. "It's okay, Azzy. Everything's going to be okay." Frisk repeated to help his brother relax.

Eventually, Asriel's breathing became normal again, and Frisk asked the question, "Nightmare?"

Asriel nodded, resting his head on Frisk's chest.

Frisk sighed.

What a way to start the day.


	6. School Plans

The morning hadn't been the best of mornings for the Dreemurr siblings. Frisk had woken up to his brother practically whimpering and screaming because of a very, very, vivid nightmare. It wasn't the first time it happened, but this was by far up there amongst the ranks of being worse. Naturally, the human was worried for his brother, and wanted to help him in any way he can. It pained him to see his brother suffering like that, and it didn't feel right at all. They sat silently at the table, enjoying a healthy serving of breakfast. Toriel had decided to make them pancakes. Frisk reached over to grab the syrup. He could see Asriel looking at his pancakes with a dead look in his eyes.

"Sweety," Toriel said, reaching over to pat her son, "Is something the matter?"

Asriel snapped out of his daze and shook his head. "No, it's nothing. Sorry." He gave her a smile to assure her but Frisk could tell he was faking it. "These look great, mom."

"Thank you. You two should eat breakfast and get ready soon. You have school." Toriel finished up at her plate and grabbed a tissue paper to clean her mouth. "I'll get your lunches ready."

"Thanks mom," they both replied in unison.

Toriel stood up and headed to the kitchen, leaving the two together at the table.

Frisk broke the silence and went straight to the point. "Were you thinking about the nightmares again?" Asriel's silence was enough of an answer for him to know he was right. Frisk sighed.

"It really is my fault…"

Frisk looked up to see Asriel misty eyed. He was on the verge of breaking down into tears but was desperately holding them back. "It's my fault, isn't it?"

Frisk glanced and heard Toriel was still busy in the kitchen. He was thankful that it was a miracle that their mom didn't hear Asriel's outburst earlier. "What is?"

"That mom and dad aren't…really together anymore."

The human bit his lip. The news of Toriel and Asgore's…separation still came as a shock to Asriel when he was told about it. Asriel was aware of the tension—memories of being Flowey clued him in. And that wasn't the only thing the memories told him about. He knew exactly why they had separated, and that reason alone tore him apart. Regardless, Asriel remained hopeful, praying that one day, the rift would be patched up and everything would go back to the way things were.

But it would seem as if fate was toying with him, taking his happy ending away from him.

"No, it's not," Frisk assured him. "They're not fighting because of you. What on earth makes you say that?"

"Don't lie to me, Frisk. You don't have to," Asriel answered flatly.

"And I'm not. They're not fighting because of you."

"Yes, they are." Asriel looked down at his plate of food, not really feeling hungry. "If I hadn't died, none of this would have ever happened. Dad wouldn't have…" he trailed, shaking his head. "He wouldn't have had to kill those kids…"

Frisk sat there silently, unable to say something for the first time in his life.

"And mom wouldn't have left. Why did it all have to go so wrong, Frisk?"

Eventually, Frisk found his voice again. "You can say that again."

Asriel sighed, taking a slice of the pancake and stuffing it down his throat. He took a big bite then swallowed it down. Once it was through, he then said, "Frisk?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to get mom and dad back."

Frisk could see a certain look across Asriel's face. Gone was the melancholy expression and was replaced with a certain burning desire in his eyes. He was very familiar with that look. He knew it all too well. It was the look of someone filled with determination. He smiled. "Me too, Azzy."

"Good, because I feel since this is my fault—"

"It's not your—"

"Since it kind of is," Asriel said, cutting off his brother, "I feel like I should be the one to fix it."

"You don't have to do it alone, you know," Frisk added. "I want them to be happy too."

"Good. I have a feeling I can't do this alone. Besides, as their kids, it's our job to make them happy!" Asriel smiled, very optimistic of the challenge presented to him and his brother. "How hard can it be?"

"Why is this SO HARD?" Asriel groaned. He cupped his face in his palms as he sat in his seat in the cafeteria. Frisk couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's outlook. The young goat glared at him. "What are you laughing at?"

Frisk stopped laughing and turned back to his food. It was lunch time and the two found it to be the perfect chance they can get to start brainstorming on possible ideas to get their parents back together. He sighed. "Sorry…I got nothing."

"Why are adults so confusing, Frisk? Can't they just kiss and make up or something?

"If only it was ever that easy," Frisk added. "If it were, the world will be a far better place."

Asriel practically planted the side of his face on the table and groaned. "This is hopeless. At the rate that we're going, we're not going to come up with anything!"

"Hey Azzy, don't be like that. There's always a way. You just got to stay determined! I'm sure we're going to find something." Frisk scratched his chin. "We're staying over at Dad's tonight, right?" Asriel nodded. "Then maybe we can start there."

"That's better than nothing I suppose."

That was when a voice behind them called their attention. "Um, is this seat taken?"

Asriel and Frisk turned their heads to see a kid of the same age look at them meekly. Black hair and a rounded face that was punctuated with square glasses, it gave Frisk the vibe that this kid was a nerd. And judging from his body language, Frisk's hunch wasn't far off.

"Uh, no," Asriel smiled, gesturing to the seat. "No, it isn't. You can have it."

"Thank you," the young boy meekly replied. He then sat next to Asriel. Frisk could tell he was scared from the way he was leaning away from his brother, but there was a certain look of curiosity in his eyes. "The cafeteria's a bit full today so I couldn't have a table of my own," the young kid added as an afterthought.

Frisk took a glance around and saw that it was. The school they attended had allowed monster kids to be part of the student body, but that didn't mean that everyone was getting along. There was a natural divide as monsters kept to themselves and humans did the same. It was rare to see contact among the different species and it was seemingly kept that way. Frisk was probably the only human in the school that didn't mind who their company was. He meshed well with humans or monsters with the latter seemingly easier to get along with for obvious reasons. If there was ever any tension between monsters and humans, the school was very good at keeping it on the down low, or pretty much nonexistent, miraculous as that may seem. The fact that the Human Monster Ambassador studied there, may have helped in making it possible, and the Monster Queen as one of the teachers, as well as the Monster Prince as well.

"Hey, it's okay," Asriel happily started talking, "it happens. You're the new kid that arrived right, along with the other bunch? I'm sorry, I didn't get your name earlier when you guys were introduced."

"I am." He nodded. "I'm Dustin. You can call me Dust, for short. I think we're in the same classes now."

"Nice to meet you, Dust." Asriel smiled happily. He always loved making new friends. "I'm Asriel, and this is my brother, Frisk." Frisk waved at him.

Dust smiled. "I know who you two are, you're the Dreemurr siblings." He turned to Frisk. "I saw you on TV last night."

Frisk smiled. "Oh? You saw the press event?"

"I did. You were great!"

"Thank you. Azzy couldn't make it though."

The goat shook his head sadly. "Mom didn't want me to go. She said it would be too dangerous."

"Can't blame her for wanting you to be safe," Frisk added.

"Personally, I think monsters are awesome," Dust said to the two of them. "It's cool! Like you guys can do magic and stuff! It's like something straight out of a videogame!"

Frisk chuckled. "It is. I'm glad you're not scared of Azzy like most people."

Dust shrugged. "I'm more curious than scared. My dad's doesn't really share the same sentiment as me though. He hates monsters—no offense, Asriel."

"None taken," Asriel replied maturely.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Frisk replied. "I hope he changes his tune someday."

"Yeah, me too." Dust looked at his tray of food and took a bite of the cafeteria made sandwich. "So, Frisk," he said, trying to start conversation again. "What's it like?"

"Is what like?"

"Living with monsters."

Frisk glanced at Asriel who looked back at him with genuine curiosity. "It's great. It's family. What else is there for me to say? It's pretty much the same as like living with a normal human family." Frisk shrugged, unable to really come up with anything more to say. "It's…normal."

Dust took another bite at his sandwich. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding so nosy. I just find it really interesting. This doesn't really happen often, you know?"

"I understand where you're coming from. It comes with the territory," Frisk added. "I can tell that you have a lot of questions."

"That I do." Dust then turned his attention to Frisk's brother. "What about you, Asriel?"

The goat blinked. "H-Huh?"

"How do you find humanity so far?"

"Oh? Uh…" he thought for a moment. Asriel remained silent, glancing at Frisk then to Dust, then back down the table as if thinking heavily of his answer. He even went so far to bite his lip, as an expression of sadness crossed his face. That was when Frisk realized why, when he remembered what happened to his brother back then. His first impression of real humanity on the surface wasn't exactly the warmest of receptions, nor was it the best.

"Azzy, you don't have to answer if it brings up bad memories," Frisk said to him, ignoring Dust's confusion in regards to the statement.

"It's okay, Frisk," Asriel replied proudly, doing his best to not let the bad memories bring him back to a darker time. "I can handle it." He then turned to Dust and said, "It's honestly different from what I imagined. It's kind of…" he stopped, thinking of the right word to use then finally saying, "disappointing, in a way."

Now it was Frisk and Dust's turn to raise their eyebrows, each with their own respective reasons. "What do you mean?" Dust asked.

"My first impression of humanity wasn't the best. You guys weren't as..." Asriel's eyes darted briefly to Frisk's, making eye contact. They both knew what he was referring to. "Friendly as you are now." His eyes returned back to Dust. "I'm sure you've read the history books in regards to the Monster and Human war. That said, I'm glad things changed for the better."

An interesting thought crossed Dust's mind. "How old are you, Asriel?"

"I'm twelve. Like my brother."

"Then…" Dust looked visibly confused. "How do you know…us…back…then?"

Frisk chuckled at Dust's puzzled expression. He rectified the problem by filling him in with the missing information. "Monsters age differently than us human."

"Ohhh, that makes more sense." Dust nodded. Then another question came out of his mouth, directed to Frisk. "Can you do the same things as your brother?"

"Like what?"

"Magic."

"He…can't?" Asriel answered for him, though it came out more as a question instead. He then glanced at Frisk and cocked his head to the side. "You should be able to."

"I have never used magic in my entire life. I don't know how. Not that I don't want to though!"

"What are you talking about, Asriel?" Dust asked, confused at what was going on.

"Humans have always been able to use magic," Asriel answered flatly. "The barrier was made by humans, Frisk."

Frisk smacked his forehead. "OH RIGHT! How did I forget that detail?"

"Whoa! Humans can do magic?!" Dust was equally flabbergasted.

"Yeah," Asriel answered. "Though I think magic became lost over time in human history."

Dust looked like he was about to cry. His dreams of becoming a strong and powerful sorcerer was lost just as it appeared in his head. Asriel swore he could hear his heart shatter in a million pieces, followed by the distant sound of a window breaking. "No…why…why…?"

"There, there," Asriel patted his new human friend on the shoulder. "I think some humans can still do it though." He turned to face Frisk who was still reeling from the revelation. "I think Dad can teach you how to use magic, Frisk. That is…if you can."

"How do you tell if someone can wield magic?" Dust spat out the question as fast as his mind could think of it.

"I…" Asriel looked at Dust's who was hanging in every single word of his. "I…don't know." Dust was utterly devastated. "We monsters can just…do it. We're magical beings. I'm not sure with humans though, but I know you can. History speaks for itself."

"Maybe we should just ask Dad. He should probably know," Frisk suggested.

Dust remained hopeful. "There's still hope for me yet!"

Just then, the school bells rung, signifying classes resuming.

"Alright we should head back," Frisk said. Then he groaned. "I freaking hate math."

"What are you talking about?" Asriel asked, standing up. "Math is awesome!"

"And most importantly, Math is fun," Dust chimed in, adjusting his glasses as if to punctuate his statement.

Frisk rolled his eyes and sighed. "Great…I have two nerds now."

Asriel playfully smacked him in the shoulder. "I heard that."


	7. Reminder of Sins

The huge monster carefully drove down the empty street and turned into an equally empty stretch of the neighborhood. Asgore glanced at the clock of the onboard media system and saw that it was already nearing 4pm. In just a matter of moments, he would be able to see his sons again, and the idea alone filled him with warmth and joy. He already had a lot of things planned for them to do over the weekend. Play some video games, eat some pizza and practically give his two sons the best weekend they could ever ask.

Asgore smiled. If anything, he wanted to be the best dad for the both of them.

No. He shook his head as he kept driving. It wasn't because he wanted to be the best dad for them. He NEEDED to be the best dad for the two of them. To Asgore, that was the only thing he felt that would keep his guilt away. To stop the guilt from destroying him from the inside out.

His mind flashed him a memory.

It was late at night. The kids had just gotten to bed after a rousing day of playing outside and having fun. Asgore sat at the sofa and glanced to his side. Alphys was there, tinkering away at her machine that she brought herself. Some sounds could be heard from the kitchen-Toriel was likely fixing her guests something.

"Thank you for coming over on such a late night, Alphys," Asgore said, smiling apologetically at the lizard. "But you know how things can be."

"It's no problem at all, your majesty," she replied, smiling back at him. "It's my duty after all." She typed some more data into her laptop and the machine began analyzing and processing everything. "I'm just glad to be of service in any way I can!" she piped up.

The sound of footsteps drew their attention and they turned their heads to see Toriel enter the room. She had a plate of biscuits in her hands. She placed the plate on the table and sat across Asgore. She then turned to face Alphys. "So, how is it?" she asked calmly.

As if on cue, the machine began to display the results of the tests she conducted on the screen. "Well, as per your request, your majesties," she began, looking at the two of them. "I've conducted testing on Frisk and Asriel to see if they're healthy physically, mentally and magically." She fixed her glasses. "Let's start with Frisk. Frisk has a clean bill of health. All the external wounds that he got from traversing the Underground have either healed or are healing perfectly. He's practically spotless." Toriel visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Alphys continued. "His brain wave patterns are also on the normal scale. No visible abnormalities could be seen. Every now and then, there is a spike but I do believe that's just a one off thing." She scrolled on the document and cleared her throat. "Okay…magical wise…"

Asgore leaned in close, curious as to what the result was. "What is it?" he asked.

"Frisk is—for a human—displaying a very strong amount of magic within him. Absurdly strong, almost as much as the amount of Determination he carries inside him."

"I thought magic was a lost art to humans now?" Toriel asked. She didn't exactly see the human folk she interacted with everyday use magic like she did.

"It seems to be, yes, but I suppose some individuals—Frisk for one—is more attuned to his magical side and has more potential than most. I hypothesis that his magical side was…" she trailed, as if looking for the best choice of words, "awakened, due to his exposure to us monsters."

"So the young one can wield magic…" Asgore mumbled to himself, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't say 'can', your majesty. It is still up to Frisk if he can draw it from within him."

He nodded, taking it into consideration. "What else is there?" he asked.

"Not much else. Shall we move on to Asriel?"

"We should," Toriel answered for him.

Alphys then began typing into her laptop and the machine began to display Asriel's test results on the screen. The lizard adjusted her glasses once again and cleared her throat. "The young prince is pretty much the same as Frisk. Perfectly healthy all around, no wounds and not even a single speck of dirt on his fur. He's practically spotless." She then pulled up the mental report and her forehead creased ever so slightly.

Toriel immediately noticed the change of expression. "What is it?"

Alphys glanced at the two before saying, "Asriel, mentally speaking, is fine…per se."

"Per se?" Both the parents spoke in unison.

"From what I can tell, Asriel seems to be suffering from depression." She turned to the both of them. "He's sad."

"About what?" Toriel asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Asgore chimed in.

Alphys sighed. "Your majesties, with all due respect, he's your son. I think it's better suited that you ask him this question instead of me. Is there anything that's been going on as of late that may cause him distress?"

The question made Asgore and Toriel make eye contact. They knew full well what was weighing on their son's mind. Alphys noticed the couple's silence but decided not to pry. This was a personal matter and it was beyond her. "Regardless, I highly suggest that you resolve what problem this is. The sooner the better. Shall I continue?" she asked.

Asgore and Toriel maintained the eye contact but it was Asgore that eventually broke it. "Yes, please."

Alphys tapped her machine. She took a biscuit from the table as she waited for the processing to finish. A few moments later, the machine spat out the result. "Whoa…" was the first thing out of her mouth when she saw it.

Toriel and Asgore looked at her expectantly. This was the moment they were all anxious to see. The magical stability of their son. Sure they were happy that he was alive and was with them, but they themselves wanted to make sure that he would stay that way. They didn't exactly know what happened to him and what made his revival possible.

Alphys peered from her glasses and focused on the data. "I have never seen anything like this before."

"Is that good or bad?" Toriel asked.

"I'm not sure." Although the data was confusing, she did her best to make sense of it. "W-well, it's hard to explain, but..." She gulped as she got a bit nervous from the way the two were staring at her. "Y-you see, Asriel's SOUL isn't that of a monster's any more, but more like that of a human's..." She adjusted her glasses again and focused on the data completely. "N-no, not just one human, many of them. Six SOULs, in fact."

"S-Six…souls…?" Asgore's eyes widened as the words sunk into his mind. "Six…human…souls…" he mumbled to himself, the realization hitting him like a speeding truck out of control.

"What do you mean exactly, Alphys?" Toriel was confused at the statements of the lizard.

"Asriel is as much of a human as he is a monster." She then stopped, then eventually added, "Literally speaking," as an afterthought.

The words just sailed right over Asriel's father however as the reality began to set in on him. Six human souls. The number replayed itself over and over in his head, as if reminding him of the things he had done. More and more, his mind brought up the horrifying memories he had desperately tried to forget and tuck away in the far reaches of his mind. He could remember all of it. Every single one of their faces. Expressions that showed fear and hopelessness as they faced their inescapable death. He could hear their voices as they pleaded for their lives to be spared. He could remember the innocence in their eyes.

The innocence he took as he struck them down himself.

Tears began to streak down Asgore's face and he didn't even realize it.

"But that's not possible!" Toriel remarked, completely unaware that her husband was silently breaking down.

"Let me clarify," Alphys replied back. She gulped before continuing. "I've…seen this sort of situation before, but not on this scale. Asriel's soul seems to reflect that of a-an…" She felt she couldn't say the word. "…Amalgamate."

"Those experiment of yours?"

"Yes, your majesty. In some of the…testing I've done with the Amalgamates," Alphys visibly shook upon saying the word again. Just saying it alone brought bad memories to the forefront of her mind. "I've seen some cases where the souls of the monsters—for a lack of a better word—fuse together and act as one. It's rare, but I have seen it. It could be something to do with Determination. I never really tested it that far."

"But Asriel doesn't have a soul," Toriel countered.

"Yes, that he did. I can only h-hypothesize that the human souls fused together to give him one."

"W-why would they do that?" Asgore asked, his voice quaking, as his body was shivering like leaves of a tree in a windy day. "Why would they do that for him?"

Alphys was surprised to see the King be so distraught. "I-I…" It took her a moment to reply. She shrugged. "I do not know."

Shock and horror. That was the only emotion that coursed through Asgore through the days that followed after that startling revelation. An immaculate sense of happiness, then sadness, and then followed by an overwhelming amount guilt was what coursed through his body each and every time he saw Asriel.

His son was his world. And, by some wicked twist of fate, now served as a living reminder of the sins he had committed, where he felt no amount of atonement or penance could ever free him from.

Asgore was in utter turmoil. On one hand, he was grateful. Grateful for the blessing he had been given, to see his son again; alive, healthy and free spirited. He remembered the days where he wanted nothing more than to hug his son again. His heart aching as the emptiness ate him raw. Now, that pain was gone. Or at the very least, didn't hurt as much as it did. On the other side however, Asgore was ashamed. He didn't deserve to have what he had now, and he sure as hell didn't deserve to get his son back, of all things. He never enjoyed killing those poor humans, and would do anything to take it back. But what was done was done.

And now he was in debt, for reasons he could not comprehend. The very same humans he had struck down mercilessly and ruthlessly, who were completely defenseless against someone like him, had collectively decided to give the thing he wanted the most in the world. To give up their SOULs for the sake of his son.

Asgore clutched his chest, taking deep breaths. Why? That question alone kept him up at night, and was the sole reason for the many sleepless nights he had.

The large monster brought up his paw and wiped away the tear that formed by his eyes. He sighed and clamped down the emergency break. His large Humvee was parked in front of the school. Children were already beginning to pile out and it he immediately saw Frisk and Asriel walking towards the car.

"Hey Dad!" Asriel cried out as he and his brother piled into the car.

"Hey kids!" he replied back warmly. He did his best to mask his voice to not show any sign of the emotional flashback he was having earlier. "How was your day?" He turned his head to see the two getting comfortable.

"It's been great, Dad!" Frisk piped up. "We have homework though, which sucks."

The large monster chuckled. "Well, don't worry, I'm sure I can help you with that."

Frisk beamed. "Thanks Dad, you're the best."

"After that, we all can have pizza for dinner! What do you two think?"

The two kids cheered. Asgore smiled happily as he began to drive out and head back home. "This is going to be the best weekend ever!" Asriel cried.


	8. Consequences

"So a family size cheese and pepperoni pizza, with an add-on of cinnamon-butterscotch pie, is that correct, sir?"

Asgore nodded. "Yes, that is correct. How much is it all?"

"That would be about ten dollars, sir, and would take up to fifteen minutes for the delivery."

The large monster opened a drawer and took out a wad of cash. He searched through it and took the necessary amount. "Alright, that would be all."

"Thank you for your patronage, sir!" the person on the other line replied back cheerily. Asgore placed the phone down the receiver and placed the wad of cash back in the drawer. "Kids, orders set! It'll be here in a few minutes!"

"Yay!" came the happy sounding voices from the living room. Asgore happily hummed to himself as he went to check in on Asriel and Frisk. He found the two to be sitting on the sofa, playing a videogame on the television up front.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Asriel called out, as he saw his character getting beaten by Frisk's.

"Yes, it is!" Frisk replied back, pressing buttons on the controller, which proceeded to pummel the character's life bar down. "If I'm allowed to do it, then that means its fair!"

Asriel turned his head back to his father. "Dad! Frisk's cheating!"

"No, I'm not!"

The large monster sat beside his son and gently patted him on the head. "Don't feel too bad, son. We all have bad days." He reached around and scratched behind his ear, immediately alleviating the pouting face Asriel had. It worked every single time. "Try again, Asriel. Don't give up."

The young kid nodded, feeling pumped as ever. "I'm determined to beat you, Frisk!"

Asgore chuckled. "Go easy on your brother, okay?'

Frisk nodded, turning back to the television and started playing again with his brother. Asgore happily watched the two play for a moment before turning his attention to the book that he had left earlier on the side table. He reached over to it and was about to get back to the chapter he was reading when the phone rang.

He sighed and stood up. "I'll get it." He walked back to the kitchen and grabbed the phone by the third ring. "Howdy, Dreemurr residence," he cheerily greeted.

"Asgore?" came the voice of a monster he knew very well.

The monster's smile was ear to ear. "Tori! Hi! How are you?"

"Hello Asgore," Toriel replied, sounding civil compared to Asgore's cheery nature. "Are Asriel and Frisk there?"

"They sure are," he replied. Just hearing her voice made Asgore happy.

"Can you put them on?"

Asgore peered from the kitchen and into the living room. The sounds of the two kids happily playing was enough of answer for him. "They're kind of busy."

He could literally feel Toriel raising her brow over the other end of the phone. "What are they doing?"

"Playing videogames," he answered.

"Have they done their homework?" she immediately spat out.

"Yes, they have." Asgore smirked. "I helped them myself."

There was a short silence before he could hear Toriel sighing at the other end, mumbling something to herself. "Okay, you are aware of their bed time, right?"

"I sure am, you told me before. They should be asleep around 9pm."

"Good, good." Toriel sounded like she was assuring herself more so than actually replying. "Good."

Asgore leaned against the wall. "Tori, relax, alright? You worry too much. We've been doing this for a while now, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm supposed to do."

"I know," she replied back, sounding solemn. "It's just…"

"I understand." Asgore knew full well why his wife was acting the way that she was. He couldn't blame her. Given her previous experiences, she had every right to be remotely paranoid. "I won't let anything happen to the two of them. You have my word."

There was a bit of silence at the other end before she replied back. "…Thank you."

He smiled warmly. "You're welcome, Toriel." That was when Asgore decided to try. "Uh, listen, I…are you doing anything…" But she didn't let him finish.

"Asgore, no." Toriel's tone was stern. "No, okay? No."

The monster bit his lip, remaining hopeful. "I just..."

Toriel sighed at the other end of the line. "Look, can we not, right now? I have a lot on my plate and adding you to that would—"

Asgore smile didn't waver. "I get the message. You're busy. Sorry."

"Yeah."

Again, there was a bit of silence between the two of them. Eventually, Toriel was the first to break the ice. "I have to get back to work. I have to grade some papers."

She was always the hard worker between the two of them. "Have a goodnight, Tori."

"Goodnight as well, Asgore. Pass the message to the young ones."

"I will. I love you."

There was a bit of silence before the call ended. The sound of the dial tone rang in his ears and he put the phone back on to the receiver. Asgore knew in his heart that his words came through. He only hoped that she realize he meant it every single time he said it. And every single time he tried to talk to her, to just reach out to her, he meant it wholeheartedly. Even after all this time that has passed between the two of them, his heart still yearned for the one monster that he fell in love with. The one monster that could fill the void that was left in his SOUL.

The sound of the doorbell ringing was what brought him back to reality. He dismissed the thoughts he had and took out the cash he had set aside earlier. The kids were still busy playing videogames for them to really notice what was going on. "Coming!" he shouted, at the second time the doorbell was pressed. He opened the door to find a young teenager holding up his box of pizza and was looking down a piece of paper.

"Order for…Mr. Dreemurr?" he asked. The young man looked up and was genuinely surprised to see the monster in front of him. "Oh! Y-you're that monster, right?"

"I sure am, young man. You must know me from television," Asgore replied politely.

"I-I did…your highness?" The teenager was confused on how to properly act. "How should I—"

"It's okay, you don't have to address me as such." Asgore decided to change the subject. "Is this the order?" The pizza smelled amazing, but what really took his attention was the cinnamon-butterscotch pie. It was his only weakness.

"Uh, yes, yes! That would be ten dollars, sir." The two exchanged and Asgore held the box in his hands.

"Thank you for your patronage, sir!" the teenager replied. "Have a goodnight!"

"Likewise, young man." Asgore turned back and headed inside the house. "Kids! Pizza's here!"

Asriel smiled happily, eating a mouthful of the pizza. Frisk was next to him, pretty much doing the same, stuffing as much pizza into his mouth as humanly possible. Asgore happily watched the two eat, taking normal sized bites of the pie he ordered. It wasn't exactly Toriel's cooking but as an alternative, it was good enough. "Kids, don't forget to chew, alright?"

"Yush, ooof cosre, Dad."

"And no talking with your mouth full."

Frisk gulped the pizza in his mouth and chugged some soda to wash it all down. He let out an uncharacteristic belch that earned him a happy giggle from his brother. He smiled sheepishly under the gaze of his stepfather. "Sorry about that."

Asgore's expression softened. He grabbed a tissue paper and reached over to wipe Frisk's mouth clean of the remnants of the pizza he ate. "There we go."

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome."

Asriel put the glass of water down and smiled at his father. "Thanks for the pizza, Dad."

"You don't have to thank me, Azzy. I just want you two to be happy," Asgore said.

"Was that mom earlier? The one who called?" Asriel asked.

"It was. She called to check in. You know how she can be. She's always looking out for the two of you. That's how much she loves you both."

"Yeah, that she does," Frisk added. Then he glanced at Asriel who returned it back. They both subtly nodded, enacting their plan. They had spent the entire day thinking of the best way to get their parents back together, remaining optimistic no matter how absurdly difficult the challenge was for them to even comprehend. Failure was something they already thought of, but at least—in their minds—they wanted to at least fail while trying rather than not doing anything. "Dad, can I ask you a question?"

Asgore took a sip from his cup of tea. "Sure, kiddo, what is it?"

"Are you still fighting with mom?"

And with that statement alone, the entire cheery, homey atmosphere around the dinner table took a turn. Asgore was completely floored by the statement, surprise at it being asked all of a sudden. He gagged on his pie, his coughing only accentuating his surprise. "I-uh, what?"

It was Asriel that repeated the question. "Are you still fighting with mom?"

The large boss monster blinked, looking at his two kids. Both were looking at him seriously, seemingly intent with their line of questioning. He gulped, deciding to go along. "We are…we're not fighting." Seeing their expression not changing, he then added, "Your mom and I are just…" Asgore was at a loss for words. Was he really going to discuss something this serious with his kids? "Having…disagreements."

"Dad, you don't have to lie to us," Asriel said. "I'm sorry…" His voice shook.

Asgore perked up, looking at his son. "W-What are you saying sorry for?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't want this to happen," Asriel added. "I just…me and Chara, we didn't really think that…our actions would…" The young goat couldn't continue any longer. The painful memories of what had happened back then began to eat him up from the inside, and the guilt was eating him from the outside. He shook in his seat, feeling cold although surrounded by nothing but warmth.

Frisk couldn't help but feel for his brother. He reached over and placed a loving hand on his shoulder. Asgore on the other hand was already crying before he knew it himself. Tears streamed down his face as he stood up and walked over to his son who was sniffling. As if on instinct, he reached out to him and pulled him for a tight hug.

"Do not blame yourself, Asriel. This is not your fault."

"But Dad…" The young goat's voice was muffled. "I want us to be…together again…"

Asgore couldn't answer his son, but instead just hugged him as tightly as he could. In his mind, he felt like he had failed again. He had failed at being a parent.


	9. Advice

“Are you still fighting with mom?”

The words echoed inside Asgore’s head as he quietly sat by himself at the living room. He stared at the dim reflection of himself on the turned off television. He saw a boss monster, looking confused and utterly distraught at how things were going. Sure, the Human Monster Peace Alliance was going well, albeit with a few hiccups but that was honestly the least of his problems. Where Asgore was building bridges to help things further along for the sake of his people, here he was, desperately trying to maintain one from falling apart. He let out a deep sigh as he rested his head in his hands. Asriel’s statement echoed once again in his ears, reminding him of how much progress he had made, which wasn’t much. He felt terrible for not being able to give Asriel a proper answer earlier and it ate him up completely. He didn’t want to lie to his son, much less make him a promise he didn’t know if he could even keep even though he badly wanted to. He wanted things to be right again as much as his son did but the problem was that he didn’t know how. He felt horrible inside. Even now, now that he and his people were free from their underground prison, he was still far away from the happy ending he wanted. To be with his family; to live like everything was right in the world.

Yet it was as if fate had other plans for him.

He sat there, silently brooding and mulling over his thoughts, trying to just come up with anything at all to go on. The sound of the door opening behind him was what pried him away from his train of thought. “Frisk?” he asked. He saw the human enter the living room. “What’s wrong, young one?”

“I can’t sleep…” Frisk answered. He seated himself across Asgore in one of the recliners. “You?”

“Much less the same, I’m afraid.” He shook his head and relaxed. “Too much thinking is keeping me up.” He saw Frisk eye him, a concerned look on his face. “How’s your brother?”

“He’s fast asleep as could be, thankfully.”

There was a short silence between the two of them, feeling contented to just let the quietness hung in the air. The large goat monster had his eyes closed, deep in thought. Eventually however he opened his eyes and broke the silence. “Frisk, can I ask you a question?”

Frisk perked up. “Sure, what is it?”

“Be honest. What do you think of me?”

The human’s brow rose. “What do I think of you?” he asked.

“Yes. I want to know what you think of me, Frisk; me as your stepfather, me as a friend, me as a king...and me as Asgore.”

“Well…” Frisk decided to answer the question. “It’s a bit weird to be calling you my Dad, since you know--you’re a monster and all that—but to be frankly honest, you’re probably the best Dad I could ever ask for.” Frisk looked away, trying to brush away the memories that came into forefront of his mind. “Even better than my real one, I should say…”

The statement caught Asgore’s attention but decided to stave off his questions for now. He let Frisk continue. “You were my friend first before I started calling you ‘Dad’ and when you were—still are, mind you—you were a great one. A monster I could talk to, and always turn to for advice. You always knew what to say and when to say it. Asriel is lucky to have you as a father.” Frisk smiled at him. “I’m glad I could call you that, though at times I feel like I shouldn’t.”

“Frisk, I’m lucky to call you one of my own. If anything, I should be the one feeling that. You’re too good to me.” Asgore chuckled. “Without you, none of this would ever be possible. You’re like a blessing to us monsters.”

The human waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t put me on a high pedestal. I was just doing the right thing, and that’s what matters the most.”

“I suppose so.”

“As for a king, you’re doing your job right. You’re leading your people well and doing your hardest to make everyone’s lives better. You couldn’t ask for a better leader.”

And that right there was what struck Asgore to the core. “Am I though, Frisk? Am I a good leader? Even after all I’ve done?”

“What do you mean, Dad?”

“I’m sure you know, what I’m talking about.” Asgore hung his head low, unable to look the human in the eye. “I’ve killed people. I’ve killed children…” He shook as he spoke. The latter of the statement almost coming out as a whisper. He looked at him seriously. “I nearly killed you.”

“But you didn’t.” Frisk had to bend the truth a little. It was a white lie anyways. “You had your reasons and they were perfectly good reasons.”

“No, they weren’t! I was a coward!” Asgore blinked, realizing his words came out more forcefully than he wanted them to be. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.” He sat back down, regaining his composure. “I was a coward, Frisk. My actions were rash and in the end, I had to suffer the consequences.” The boss monster rubbed his right temple. “My people had to suffer the consequences.”

Frisk nodded. “Well there is no denying that.” His brow rose. “Do you regret it though?”

“Every single day of my life.” Asgore’s expression was hollow. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I think about what I did and wish that I could change it.”

“That’s good. It shows that you are keen on changing for the better. We all have things that we regret. We all have pasts that we would like to forget. But just because we do, doesn’t mean we should let it define who we are now in the present. I know what you did, Dad, but I’m willing to look past that because I know in my soul that you’re a good monster.” Frisk smiled at him sincerely. “That’s why I call you my Dad.”

Asgore blinked, and looked at Frisk as if seeing him in a new light. The child’s words sunk into him. “Those are very wise words for someone so young.”

Now it was Frisk’s turn to be surprised. “H-huh?”

“You sound just like Toriel,” Asgore said wistfully. “Ah, Toriel…”

“You really miss her, do you, Dad?”

Asgore nodded in response. “I do, Frisk. I really do.” He sighed again, shaking his head. “It just pains me to see how she’s convinced herself to hate me.” He chuckled wryly. “Her reasons are well justified however.”

“Then you should convince her to see otherwise,” Frisk replied. “But you have to forgive yourself first before you can ask her to forgive you.

The monster bowed his head. “I don’t even know if I can forgive myself. Regardless, that’s what I’ve been trying to do, and each time, she just shoots me down.” The large monster looked utterly distraught. “I just want to hold her in my arms again…” Asgore stopped, now realizing who he was talking to. The contents of their conversation seemed rather inappropriate for someone as young as Frisk. “I-I’m sorry, Frisk. You shouldn’t be worrying about your stepfather like this. You’re a young child. You shouldn’t burden yourself with the troubles of others.”

Frisk crossed his arms across his chest. “Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I can’t sympathize. And besides, I hate seeing my friends and family be in trouble. I didn’t go through all that trouble in the Underground just to see things fall apart.”

The large monster nodded, appreciative of the human’s resolve. “T-that is true. You truly are smart for your age, aren’t you? Are all humans like this?”

Frisk chuckled as he propped his head on his right hand. “I’m one of a kind. I’m best experienced with no preconceived notion.”

“Was that a Frisk flirt?”

“…Sorry, force of habit.”

Asgore let out a hearty chuckle. Even Frisk laughed along with him. Asgore was glad that the rather gloomy atmosphere between the two of them was getting defused ever so slightly. Once he regained his composure, he then said, “What would you do, Frisk?”

“What do you mean?”

“What would you do if you were in my position?”

Frisk thought for a moment. “I suppose you should just be sincere to mom. Mom’s the action type of monster, preferring to judge you by your actions rather than your words.”

Asgore couldn’t help but comment. “And judge she did…”

“Just focus on showing her you mean well. Azzy and I are both rooting for you. We both want you two to be happy again as much as we do,” Frisk added. “We’ll even help whenever and wherever we can.”

The large monster smiled, feeling thankful. Then the thought of his son crossed his mind. “I’m just sorry for Asriel. This isn’t what he deserves.”

“This isn’t what any of you deserve. After all the stuff you’ve been through, you guys need a break,” Frisk replied. “You all deserve to be happy for a change. That’s why Asriel and I have been thinking of ways to help you along.”

Asgore smiled. “I commend the effort, but I don’t think this is a matter kids like you should be dealing with.”

“And I shouldn’t be the human ambassador for monsters,” Frisk countered flatly. “But I am.”

“Point taken.”

“Besides, Asriel feels responsible.”

“He shouldn’t.”

“But he does. He’s selfless like that.”

“I wonder where he got that…”

“Who else? He’s the heir to the throne isn’t he?”

“Regardless, you children shouldn’t be suffering like this.”

“That’s why we want to help fix it.”

“I can agree with you on that. How odd, this is. I’m asking for advice from someone as young as you.” Asgore smiled. “It all feels very surreal.”

Frisk laughed. “Odder things have happened, I can assure you.”

The large monster stood up. “I am truly in your debt, Frisk.” He walked over and took a knee, proceeding to hug Frisk. “You are truly worthy of the name Dreemurr. You show the qualities of royalty.”

Frisk more than happily returned the hug. “I do my best.”

Asgore patted Frisk on the head. “I will take you up on your offer then.” He then saw Frisk yawn at him. “Though, I do think you should get some sleep now. It is getting late after all, and it’s definitely way past your bedtime.”

“Yeah…I guess I should…” Frisk scratched his head, before lazily standing up. “I’m sure Azzy would be very happy to know that we can help fix your issues with mom.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Asgore said, directing Frisk back to their bedroom. “This problem is far more complicated than your homework.”

“Fair enough…”

Asgore opened the door to the bedroom and was greeted with the sound of snoring, coming from the ball of white fur in one of the beds. His heart nearly melted seeing how peaceful his son slept. It made him realize just how important things were to getting the family back together. The large monster helped Frisk up to his bed, before tucking him in with the blanket.

“Goodnight Frisk,” he said, giving the human a loving peck on the forehead.

“Goodnight Dad.”


	10. Investigation

The night was young and the moon was shining brightly alongside the twinkling stars against the inky black sky. The landscape zoomed by, the trees and the rocky walls all blending together and disappearing in the dark as the headlights went past them. Inside, a lone young man braved the mountain as the road went up another steep incline, going up higher and higher. To his left was the breathtaking view of Ebbot City. Towering skyscrapers littered the downtown district whilst quiet suburban homes were found at the residential side of town. It was a picture straight out of a postcard. The chatter of the radio was what kept the silence at bay.

“It hasn’t been that long, but as you can see, the Monsters have already garnered a large amount of support for their cause to further the Human Monster Peace Alliance. I’m even going to say that it might not be long till the alliance is set in stone!”

“Right you are, partner! Did you see the human ambassador earlier?”

“That I did. He was adorable! I can’t believe he’s that young. Can you imagine the pressure he must be dealing with?”

“Well, if there’s one thing I know for sure, he’s pretty much holding up quite well, given everything that has happened.”

“That said, it really makes me wonder what his relation to King Asgore.”

“He’s adopted, if I’m not mistaken.”

“How? The monsters just came out, didn’t they?”

“I’m just in the dark as you are, partner. And I’m willing to bet the listeners are too. Don’t worry folks; we’ll keep you updated as the news starts pouring in!”

“Right you are! Remember folks, you’re listening to Viper Radio! Keeping you in the know, twenty four hours a day! We’ll be right back after these messages!”

The radio then proceeded to start playing a commercial to which the young man proceeded to tune out. He silently thought to himself, continuing to drive up the mountain. He remembered why he came here in the first place. He was a man on a mission, and he was dead set in completing it. He couldn’t believe how long it was already, but it was still fresh on his mind like it had just happened yesterday.

He wanted the truth.

Eventually the road began to straighten out and he could see the lights of a village up ahead. It was none other than the Monster Village. While some monsters enjoyed being amidst human society, others were far more recluse, finding a compromise and reveling in it. They get to enjoy freedom, see human society but still be in the comfort of their own kind without the scrutiny that humans would put them under. It was the best of both worlds. The car came to a stop as a guard post blocked his path, barring him a few meters shy of the village proper. He put on his best smile. The place was under a different jurisdiction after all and security reflected as such.

He rolled down his window and smiled to the monster that walked up to the side of his car. It was a monster clad in full body armor including the helmet and everything. It always made him wonder how they managed to move so effortlessly with something so obviously heavy.

“Good evening…” he fumbled for a bit. “Officer?” Where they even considered officers? “I mean, Knight?”

“What is your purpose here?” The monster answered directly to the point.

“I was going to check something up at the mountain.”

It was hard to judge the facial expression of the monster given that he was staring at nothing but a sheet of metal. But if his goal was to be intimidating as a guard, he was proving to be intimidating as anyone who would be in a metal armor. “Identification?”

The young man reached inside the car and pulled out an ID. The monster eyed it with scrutiny. “Cobb?” He asked, reading the name on the ID. Then he saw the rest of the details.

“Yes, that is me,” the young man answered.

The monster handed back the ID. “I’m sorry for taking up your time.” He visibly relaxed, realizing who he was talking to. “You know how it is, protocol and all that.”

“I completely understand,” Cobb replied back. “You were just doing your job.”

The monster nodded. He then turned around and waved at his friend. The bar in front of Cobb’s car lifted, clearing the path forward. “Be careful up there. Have a goodnight.”

“Thank you. Same to you too.”

Cobb stepped on the gas and the car began to move again.

The guard watched as the lights slowly disappeared into the village of the monsters a few paces away from them. He walked over to the guardhouse and joined his friend who was idly watching the television. The cat’s eyes fell on him as he sat on his chair.

“Who was it?”

“More of those humans taking a gander up at the peak.” The monster took off his helmet, revealing—her—insect like appearance for the world to see. “I swear, there never ending curiosity is something I will never understand.”

“It’s not like there’s anything up their anymore, right?”

“True.” She reached over and started jotting down the details on a clipboard. “Still, I’m sure Sir Gerson will still be interested to hear about this.”

As the lights of the guardhouse disappeared behind Cobb, he chuckled to himself. That was too easy. He didn’t even put that much effort in creating the forged ID he showed and yet he got in without as much of a fuss. At least everything was going smoothly. The way to the top was a quiet one. He passed by the sleepy monster village without seeing anyone in the streets. Then again, it was the middle of the night so of course most of the monsters would be in their houses sleeping. And if there were ever any nocturnal monsters, he was lucky to not see any of them. He’d prefer that no one would know of his activities here.

The car eventually stopped as the paved road ended and what was left was nothing more than a rugged dirt path. He powered down the lights, then the engine. Everything was quiet around him, save for the sound of the distant rumble of the city and the eventual quiet hum of the wind that high up the mountain. Cobb stepped out of the car and produced a flashlight from his pockets and headed to the trunk of his car. With a click, the trunk opened and he was greeted with a rope and a metal grappling hook he had prepared earlier.

“I hope this holds…” He grabbed hold of his equipment and slung it on his shoulder. Looking outwards, he directed his attention to the other, less visible path, hidden in the shroud of the darkness. His eyes followed the trail as it snaked its way upwards higher up to the mountain, eventually disappearing under the foliage. With his heart set, he hefted his equipment and began to climb. The trek upward wasn’t that hard; he barely broke a sweat as he got to a flat surface to steady himself. He pushed the foliage away and sure enough saw a cave that led deeper into the mountain. It was perfectly hidden from plain sight. The only way someone would otherwise find it was if they accidentally came across it. The sound of wind howling could be heard inside and he pointed his flashlight beam inwards. He smirked, seeing the huge gaping hole in the ground.

He looked around, trying to find a crevice of sorts, anything at all to use as a base. “Now, where can I…” He smiled, seeing a sturdy looking tree at the mouth of the cave with the branches parting ways perfectly. A few moments later, he had securely fastened the grappling hook and was tying the rope around his waist. He managed to create a makeshift pulley system with all the rope and clips he brought with him. He gave the rope a fair tug, making sure it wouldn’t snap with him hanging from it.

Cobb felt his heart racing as he walked towards the edge of the hole. The flashlight’s beam couldn’t even reach the bottom. Was this really the right place? He let out a chuckle as the question went through his head. “Of course it is, idiot. Where else would an ominous hole like this exist?” His expression shifted to that of seriousness. “This has to be it.”

After making sure one last time that the rope would hold, he stepped through the hole and began to rappel down. The darkness swallowed him whole as he gently lowered himself. His flashlight was the only source of light in the otherwise dark and empty chamber he was descending. His arms burned as the rope struggled to carry his weight. He ended up jumping off the cave wall descending downwards, deeper into the cavern. “How far down is this?!” he screamed out in frustration as the light couldn’t seem to reach the bottom. But just as he felt his resolve waning, the floor came into view. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it, spurning him onwards and giving him a burst of energy to finish what he started.

With one last jump, he cleared the gap and successfully landed his legs on the cave wall, his footsteps reverberating all around him. He looked upwards and saw the moonlight slowly spilling in from the hole up top. He briefly thanked the fact that he brought a very long rope with him. “Beat that, Nathan Drake.”

He turned around and took hold of his flashlight and shined it around. Darkness still surrounded him, giving him a sense of foreboding. The place felt still and quiet, the only sound he could hear was his own breathing, heartbeat and the sound of the wind blowing past up above him. He took a step forward however, looking for a path to follow. He came across the center of the room to find a flower patch filled with golden flowers.

“Interesting…” He mumbled to himself, examining the flower patch. It felt out of place, and yet somehow, it felt like it completed the entire area. Darkness and emptiness everywhere saved for a patch of nature surviving in the middle; if anything it was poetic. Cobb pressed forward. He fumbled around in the dark, his flashlight’s beam proving to not be strong enough to cut through all the black that was seemingly trying to swallow him whole. It was claustrophobic. Just then, he reached the wall of the cave and hugged it, using it for support.

Eventually, he managed to find an open passage. He shined his flashlight into the path. It was dark and foreboding, but he knew he had to press on if he wanted to have answers. He didn’t come this far, only for his resolve to falter. Gripping his flashlight tighter in his hands, he walked forward wondering where the Underground would take him.

Aside from the beating of his own nervous heart, the echo of his footsteps reverberating across the stone walls and the silent dead air, the entire place felt deadly quiet. Was this really the Underground where the Monsters came from? Or did he rappel down the wrong hole in the first place? It felt too…quiet. Like no one was around anymore. Just as the thought entered his mind, he had to mentally smack himself for thinking as such. Of course no one was around anymore; they were all living at the Monster Village up top. If not there, some Monsters had successfully integrated themselves into human society and living there.

Regardless, he still couldn’t shake the fact that there should be at least some sort of life as to where he was underground. But wherever he looked, he couldn’t find any. It was nothing but ruins wherever his eyes landed. Walking around in the dark with only a flashlight in hand didn’t prove to be the best of ideas he’d ever come up with. At the rate he was going, he was going to end up lost.

“Where in the world am I going…?” he mumbled to himself, the growing dread of being lost creeping up on him. He didn’t exactly want to find himself standing at a dead end. The entire place was a labyrinth. He was almost half expecting there to be a monster that looked like a Minotaur. ALMOST. Eventually however, he came across a fork in the room. He could either go left or go straight. He wasn’t sure either where to go so he decided to go straight for now. The passageway opened up to a bigger cavern and Cobb was taken by surprise at the sight before him.

Buildings as far as the eye can see, some being swallowed up by the darkness completely as his flashlight was far too weak to pierce through. Some buildings reached up to the ceiling up above, spiraling upwards with intricate and well decorated designs. The architecture was a mixture of Greek, European and some looked out of this world. It was an empty city under a mountain. “Wow…” he mumbled to himself as he stood next to the railing. He took a moment to let the idea sink in. He briefly contemplated on how this was even possible but decided against and instead headed back soon after. This wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted answers, not more questions. He needed answers.

Turning right at the fork this time, the path led him upwards. The passage widened once again, leading him into an open space. He shined his flashlight forward and he saw a house—more like a cottage to be precise--neatly carved into the cave wall, punctuated with a dead tree in the middle.

“Not exactly my kind of garden but whatever.”

He walked forward and noted the door, leading inside. He grabbed hold of the knob and turned it, the door swinging open. He smiled. “Now we’re getting somewhere…”


	11. Daybreak

"It's another great day here at Ebbot City with the weather as sunny as can be!"

Asgore blinked as the television eagerly buzzed in the background. He idly rubbed his eye as he brewed his morning tea. The machine gave off an electric hum as it came to life. He glanced to his left and pressed the toaster, lowering the handle to start toasting the two loaves of bread he loaded onto it. He glanced upwards at the clock and it read 7:30am. He yawned, realizing just how early it was. Then again, he was an early bird of a monster, always being up and about early in the morning, eager to get things done. Today, however, was an off day and his to-do-list was pretty much nonexistent. He made sure to keep it that way, as this was the time he was going to use to spend time with the kids as much as possible.

He went to the side and grabbed an apron—his apron, appropriately marked 'Best Dad'—and donned it on. He approached the gas range and snapped his fingers. Magical blue fire came to life and he topped it off with a frying pan. He let out another yawn, walking over to the refrigerator and grabbed some to food to prepare for his two little angels. The television continued with its morning broadcast while Asgore did his morning routine.

"Last night marked another milestone to the ongoing Human Monster Peace Alliance." It then began to show clips of the events with the newscaster's narration on top of it. "Asgore Dreemurr, king of the monsters, met with the President of the United States to finalize the alliance between human and monster kind. It has been a long and arduous time, but talks have now been finalized and a joint power has been given over to the king. As of today, Ebbot City is both under the control of humans and monsters, serving as a joint jurisdiction between the King and the President."

The broadcast then showed the President talking about the alliance. "Greetings, my fellow Americans. Like you, I was flabbergasted when I heard one of my men telling me that a large goat wanted to have an audience, telling me that he needed to speak with me for the sake of his people. I thought it was an April Fool's joke. I was waiting for one of them to tell me that it was just a prank and to stop wasting my time. But a quick check on the calendar told me it wasn't. Like many people that day, that the world that I knew felt completely alien. The phrase truth is stranger than fiction has never been true." He cleared his throat and then continued, "When I first saw King Asgore, I felt daunted. Seeing a large goat man beast was something you don't see every day. The word monster was all the more appropriate. But as I got to know Mr. Dreemurr, over a cup of tea, I began to realize that we had more in common than at first glance. He taught me about the history of monsters—a story I remember fondly being told to me by my mother as a bed time. I never imagined something like this would ever become a reality. But here I am, talking to you all to tell you that I hear Mr. Dreemurr's plight, and I for one, stand beside it. It is true that monsters have a history in our minds of being feared, horrifying creatures, but my meeting with this man was nothing other than pleasant and peaceful. I cannot change what history has done to his kind, but I can make a stand today to prevent history from repeating itself."

Asgore smiled as freshly made bacon and eggs were placed on empty plates and he began to arrange them on the dinner table. The news then continued.

"As of today, Ebbot City is now under the jurisdiction of US government as well as the Monster Royalty. We welcome our Monster allies and hope that the path forward leads to better relations between humans and monsters. I hope you all have a pleasant day."

Asgore seated himself on the table, an idle hand stirring his cup of tea. A huge weight lifted off of the boss monster's chest as the Alliance was finally set in stone. That was one less problem to worry about, but he had a mountain more to deal with. Still, progress was progress, and he wasn't one to deny it where he could have it. The broadcast continued, showing the newscaster back at the studio.

"Monsters around Ebbot City and Pro-Monster supporters are obviously happy to see the Alliance finally set in stone. However, numerous Anti-Monster individuals express their distaste upon hearing the news. Late last night, one of the satellite offices of the Monster Embassy was shook as a bomb threat came to light."

The monster blinked upon hearing the news and reached for the remote. He turned up the volume and listened intently.

"SWAT teams immediately rushed in and secured the perimeter, as a bomb squad was set in to defuse the tension from within. Monsters and humans were escorted out of the facility as the authorities did their work. The entire event lasted for almost three hours as the bomb squad painstakingly defused the device. Fortunately, they succeeded. The defused bomb was removed out of the premises and regular operation soon resumed. Authorities later released more information in regards to the matter." The broadcast then switched over to the police giving a news report.

"The situation was contained and thankfully no lives were lost. Our forensics are looking at the materials used to create the bomb and so far, it looks like it's another one created by anti-monster extremist individuals."

Asgore grimaced.

"The police are open to tips in regards to the whereabouts of these individuals. If you have any information pertaining to their location, please do not be afraid to approach us. The Ebott City Police Department is working closely with the Monster Royal Guard to bring these people to justice to prevent future heinous crimes."

The broadcast reverted back to the newscaster arranging papers in front of him. "The recent bomb scare counts as the fifth one after a string of events leading up to the Alliance. Tensions are high and the people of Ebbot City are scared. Rest assured, the authorities are doing their best to keep things under control. For now, however, authorities' advice to avoid going to populated public places to avoid being a victim to these acts of terrorism."

"I'm going to have to talk to Gerson about this," Asgore told himself, lowering the volume of the television. He rubbed his right temple as he thought about the news broadcast. Why did humans have to hate them? Why couldn't they be like Frisk? He shook his head. Maybe that was asking too much, he told himself. Frisk was a one of a kind person after all.

"Dad…?"

Asgore looked up to see Asriel coming out of the bedroom, rubbing one of his eyes sleepily. "Howdy kiddo," he greeted him. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Asriel mumbled, climbing onto one of the chairs and sleepily staring at the food on the table. Asgore reached over and lovingly ruffled his son's hair.

"How was your sleep?"

The young goat yawned. "It was okay."

"Did you have good dreams?" Asgore genuinely asked. The memories of waking up in the middle of the night because of his son's blood curdling screaming were still fresh in his mind to this day. It wasn't always but it was often enough that it became a concern for him.

"I did actually." Asriel then felt quiet. His father noticed it and glanced at him, urging him to continue. "I dreamt about us."

"Oh? What did we do?"

"We were together," he answered. "It was all of us; you, me, Frisk and mom just having fun together at the house. I think we were all having butterscotch pie and then drinking tea as well."

Asgore smiled, patting his son's head fur. "That's a very nice dream."

"Dad, can we ever do that again?"

The boss monster glanced at his son, the memory of yesterday going back to the forefront of his mind, followed by the talk that he had with Frisk afterwards. The concerned expression on his face slowly melted and was replaced with cautious optimism. "I'm sure. I'll talk to your mom."

Asriel's face lit up like the sun. "You will?"

The happiness radiating from Asriel was no doubt contagious. Asgore found himself smiling back, sincerely and with no more reservations. "I will."

"Awesome! Thanks Dad."

"I know how much this means to you." Asgore then added, "To both of you. I for one miss your mother as well. I think it's high time we really have a one on one talk with one another in regards to everything that's been happening."

"Don't worry, Dad. Everything's going to be okay."

The words that came out of Asriel's mouth struck a chord with him. Everything was going to be okay, he repeated to himself. Asgore looked as his son began helping himself to a healthy serving of food. Seeing the happy smile he had on his face, it made the boss monster realize just how true his words were. The memories of him grieving over his son's death feel nothing more but a distant echo now. If his son was brought back to him by a miracle from the SOULs that gave him a second chance, it wasn't that much of a stretch to think that he could get a second chance himself.

"Oh, good morning, Frisk!"

The human let out a tired yawn as he stepped into the fray. He mumbled a sleepy reply before sitting himself next to Asriel on the table. He lethargically arranged his ruffled hair as he glancing at the food on the table. "Can you pass me some water, Azzy?"

The goat grabbed a pitcher and filled a glass of water for his brother. "Here you go."

Frisk mumbled a thank you before drinking the cool refreshing water, soothing his parched throat. "Morning, Dad."

"Good morning, Frisk," Asgore replied, taking a sip from his tea. "How was your sleep?"

"It was fine, Dad," he replied.

Asriel snickered. "Frisk was snoring!"

Frisk looked appalled. "No, I wasn't!"

"Yes you were."

"Nuh, uh! Maybe that was you."

Even though Asgore smiled throughout the entire exchange, he didn't like the notion of his sons fighting. "Okay, okay, break it up you two."

The two kids apologized simultaneously. Asgore briefly flashed them an angry look—an expression that he rarely wore—before changing it to a playful one. "There's nothing to be ashamed of the fact that you snore. I do it all the time!"

Frisk and Asriel giggled to themselves. "I think your mother actually got angry at me at one point about it." Asgore smiled at his kids. "But enough about that, you two eat up. You don't want breakfast to get cold now do you?"

Asgore stood at the side flipping through the contacts of his mobile phone as he watched Frisk and Asriel clean the dishes of their breakfast. "Try not to waste too much soap, alright? Just a few drops would be perfect."

"Okay, Dad," Asriel answered. He turned to Frisk and then said, "I'll rinse the plates and you're in charge of soaping them up."

Frisk smiled. "Sounds like a plan!"

The boss monster smiled seeing his two sons working together perfectly. His chest swelled with pride. He turned his attention back to the phone and saw the number he was looking for. He tapped it and the phone began to dial the number. He patiently waited as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Gerson!" he greeted.

"Oh! Your Majesty! I apologize for not picking up sooner. I had to find where I placed the phone in the first place."

Asgore chuckled. "It's no problem at all, really."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Asgore glanced at his kids. Frisk was blowing bubbles by cupping his hands and blowing into them. Asriel was busy trying to pop them. The two were having a gall of a time. The boss monster moved to the side and whispered into the phone. "Have you heard the news?"

The tone of Gerson's voice from the other line shifted immediately. "…Yes."

"Do we have any leads? We have to put a stop to these threats immediately."

"We are working on it, your majesty. We can give you a detailed report and have one of my men come by later to drop it off, if you would prefer that."

"I'd appreciate it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> Unfortunately, this will be the final chapter for now as this story will go into hiatus. T__T I'm sorry guys. That's how it's going to be for now.


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